"The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Volume 1 (of 3)" by Alain René Le Sage is a picaresque novel published between 1715 and 1735. Born to humble servants in Santillana, young Gil Blas sets off for university only to find himself derailed by robbers and forced into servitude. As a valet, he navigates through every level of society—from criminals to courtiers—using his sharp wit and adaptability to survive in a world of scoundrels, charlatans, and rogues. (This is an automatically generated summary.)