"De Zonderlinge Lotgevallen van Gil Blas van Santillano, deel 1 van 2" by Alain-René Lesage is a picaresque novel published between 1715 and 1735. Born to humble parents in Spain, young Gil Blas sets out for university but finds himself drawn into a world of robbers, rogues, and questionable characters. Working as a valet, he navigates through different social classes with quick wit and adaptability, moving from disreputable company toward the royal court itself, where fortune and position await.