Joseph Andrews

Novel by Henry Fielding which is fully named: The History and Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. It was preceeded by his novel Shamela and is Fielding's second parody of the Epistolary Novel Pamela written by Samuel Richardson.

The protagonist, Joseph Andrews, is Pamela's brother and Lady Booby is the aunt of Squire Booby, who married Pamela (in Richardson's novel only known as "Mr B.").

Content

After the death of her husband, Sit Thomas Booby, Lady Booby was more and more attrackted to her young Footman Joseph Andrews. He was -as his sister Pamela- very virtuous and refused her advantages, so he ended up being discharged. Joseph Andrews started a journey to London in order to meet his old sweetheart Fanny. First he met his friend Parson Adams who was also on his way to London. Together they face many adventures and finally Josephs parents identify Fanny as their lost doughter. It turns out that Joseph is in fact not their biological son but was left behind when the Andrews lost their doughter. By a birthmark Joseph is recognised to be the kidnapped son of the Gentleman Wilson. Shortly later Joseph and Fanny are married by Parson Adams.

Style

Henry Fielding wrote this novel in four books. In his preface, he draws the readers attention to the fact that what they are about to read is not a traditional romance but rather a comic romance or a comic epic poem in prose. So the reader was supposed to deal with people of inferior rank and therefore also inferior behaviour. Fielding used a formal realistic style and mock epic elements in his novel.

Sources

Fielding, Henry. Joseph Andrews, Mineola NY: Dover Thrift Editions, 2001.

Brooks, Douglas. Number and Pattern in the Eighteenth-century Novel, London: Douglas Brooks, 1973.