Le Diable boiteux

Le Diable boiteux was written by French author Alain-René Lesage and first published in 1707. The novel became one of Lesage's most popular works and helped establish his literary reputation in early 18th-century France. A revised and expanded edition appeared in 1726.

The novel follows a Madrid student named Don Cleofas who encounters a crippled devil named Asmodeus and releases him from a magical bottle. In return, the devil magically lifts the rooftops of Madrid to expose the secret and scandalous lives hidden beneath. The pair spend the night observing the hypocrisy and corruption of the city's inhabitants from above.

Lesage's novel was adapted from the 1641 Spanish work El diablo cojuelo by Luis Vélez de Guevara. Lesage freely transformed the Spanish source material into a distinctly French satirical commentary on society. The voyeuristic rooftop-revealing device became an influential literary trope in 18th-century French literature.

Le Diable boiteux is considered a picaresque novel, a genre that uses a roguish protagonist and episodic satirical structure to critique society. It blends elements of fantasy with social satire, exposing the hidden vices of Madrid's residents through supernatural means. The novel influenced later French picaresque and satirical writing throughout the Enlightenment.