"Joseph Andrews"

Paper Summary:

This paper, which focuses primarily on how Henry Fielding depicts English society in the 18th century in his novel "Joseph Andrews", is broken up into four parts, beginning with a look at the author and the context of the book - political, social and religious. The second part of the book has to do with Joseph Andrews in relation to other texts of the period. The third part is entirely focused on Fielding's moral society and the fourth takes into consideration the problem of language as related to society.

Author and Society: Reading Beyond the Text
The Prism or the Mirror: Depicting 18th Century Society
Fielding's Moral Society
Language and Society

From the Paper:

"Joseph Andrews not only provides a broad panorama of 18th-century English society but it also reveals the specific viewpoint and personal involvement of its author. It is often said that what prompted its writing was a reaction of "amused exasperation" at the astounding Pamela fashion. This is certainly true but the circumstances of the composition of Joseph Andrews are more complex and reach further back in time. The issues, people, and events affecting the author's private, social and intellectual life during the period molded his vision of reality into a broader outlook that was to influence his literary taste. It would become proper to the majority of his writings. For example, Fielding's pronouncements on political, religious, or social matters would often be inspired by his own involvement in party politics, by his allegiance to some Latitudinarian or other and even by hopes of personal reward. Fielding and his characters refer to a host of actual people of every possible description - highwaymen, freethinkers, preachers, playwrights, poets, actors, and peers. Those are people the author might have met, or heard of, or read. They are the people he opposed, condemned, hated, defended, approved of, or loved. To understand how English society is represented in Joseph Andrews, it is crucial to read beyond the text in order to find the reasons for the author's attitude."

More papers on "Joseph Andrews":

• Book Review # 88912 : "'Joseph Andrews' and the Importance of Lady Booby"
• Book Review # 93705 : "Joseph Andrews"
• Analytical Essay # 9263 : "'Joseph Andrews'"

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