Adeel Raza Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews
Summary

In Joseph Andrews, Fielding the author, magistrate, and moralist refuses to accept much of what he sees around
him; in Book III, he states that his purpose is "to hold the glass to thousands in their closets, that they may
contemplate their deformity, and endeavor to reduce it." But just as Fielding excludes the burlesque, which makes
up the entirety of Shamela, from his "sentiments and characters" in Joseph Andrews, so too does he progress
beyond a mere criticism of the "ridiculous" to a positive statement and portrayal of the values in which he
believed. We find that we are no longer merely laughing at people and situations, but also laughing with them; we
are taking delight, rather than laughing in scorn. Our sense of delight at the close of Joseph Andrews is in no sense
destructive, but represents one of the many aspects of this book which can be considered under such headings as
form, characterization, style, and moral tone.

Joseph Andrews is a picaresque novel of the road; the title page tells us that it was "Written in Imitation of the
Manner of CERVANTES, Author of Don Quixote." Despite its looseness of construction, however, Joseph Andrews
does make a deliberate move from the confusion and hypocrisy of London to the open sincerity of the country;
one might perhaps apply Fielding's own words in a review he wrote of Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote: ". . .
here is a regular story, which, though possibly it is not pursued with that epic regularity which would give it the
name of an action, comes nearer to that perfection than the loose unconnected adventures in Don Quixote; of
which you may transverse the order as you please, without an injury to the whole."

This journey is undertaken in more than a simply geographical sense. Fielding takes his characters through a
series of confusing episodes, finally aligning them with their correct partners in an improved social setting, from
which the most recalcitrant characters are excluded; the characters, for the most part, have all measured and
achieved a greater degree of self-knowledge. Thus the marriage of Fanny to a more experienced Joseph takes place
in an ideal setting the country and is facilitated by the generosity of an enlightened Mr. Booby. Lady Booby,
unchanged and unreformed, returns to London, excluding herself from the society which Fielding has reshaped.

It is often the business of comedy to correct excess, and Fielding has not spared the devious practices of a lawyer
Scout, or the boorish greed of a Parson Trulliber. But his comedy includes a sense of delight, and the order into
which he molds Joseph Andrews is a positive affirmation of the qualities of love, charity, and sincerity, expressed by
Adams, Joseph, and Fanny.

It is the active virtue (in Adams' case, it is flawed by just the right amount of vanity and inconsistency) of Adams,
Joseph, and Fanny that redeems this book from the flock of hypocrites that peoples its pages. Indeed, Fielding
explains in his preface that he has made Adams a clergyman "since no other office could have given him so many
opportunities of displaying his worthy inclinations." It is important we realize that despite Joseph and Fanny
remaining types, as do all the other characters, Adams emerges as an individual. He is a positive force not only as a
clergyman who puts his principles of charity into practice, but as a man who applies himself to Aeschylus for
comfort, as well as to his pipe and ale, manages to confront the physical obstacles of the world in the most
awkward ways, prides himself rather too much as a teacher of Latin and as a writer of sermons, and takes people
absolutely at face value. He not only fits into the positive side of Fielding's comic pattern, but emerges as a "round"
and fully developed character that reinforces his goodness by his humanity.

The other characters are "flat"; they are types, rather than individuals, and are depicted by an emphasis on a
single characteristic; greediness sums up Mrs. Tow-wouse, while Mrs. Slipslop comes to life through her
malapropisms. "I describe not men, but manners; not an individual, but a species," Fielding states in Book III,
Chapter 1; portraying people as types enables him to include them more easily in his comic visions; we can more

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easily survey the eccentricities of the rest of the species, using our detachment (Adams' detachment) to place and
criticize them.

There are two important points to be made about Fielding's method of characterization. First, when asked about
the province of the novel as a genre, most people would probably reply in terms of "the real, the actual, and the
everyday." Consider what Fielding does. All of the characters in Joseph Andrews, with one exception, reveal
themselves in a realistic and vividly portrayed setting. The exception, of course, is Parson Adams, who exists in the
same world, but does not relate to it and, in this way, he becomes a positive force. It is the task of the novelist to
convey the actual flavor of life, but there is a place for idealism as well as realism. Just as Fielding's control gives an
order to the fragments of real life, so Adams' naivete and innocence add an extra dimension to the strong sense of
actuality conveyed in Joseph Andrews.

The second point concerns the idea of appearance. In real life we must always judge people by externals; the
novel, however, offers an extra dimension. In the novel, we can penetrate the facades and see what people are
really thinking, whereas in real life we have only the evidence of their words and actions. This is not a process in
which Fielding indulges himself, however; his dramatic instinct often has his characters confront each other in
much the same way that they might in real life. The characters may be deceived by or mistaken about each other,
but the theme of appearance versus reality is communicated to the reader. Fielding clearly shows us how difficult
it is to penetrate through the trappings to the heart of man.

Although Fielding's description of his work as a "comic romance" or "comic epic-poem in prose" introduces the
elements of parody and burlesque, certain qualities of the epic itself, and romance, do inject themselves into
Joseph Andrews. These are the qualities of imagination, idealism, and a happy conclusion, all of which serve to
underscore Fielding's purpose in writing this book. In his preface, Fielding is careful to disassociate himself from
the "productions of romance writers," yet it must be admitted that the end of Joseph Andrews, with its accounts of
gypsies and changeling babies, has certain elements of the fairy tale come true. In fact, Fielding's achievement is to
superimpose this positive act of imagination on the raw material of the very real world. His achievement, in
Samuel Johnson's words, "may be termed, not improperly, the comedy of romance, and is to be conducted nearly
by the rules of comic poetry," terms remarkably similar to Fielding's own. This "comedy of romance" requires,
Johnson claims, "together with that learning which is to be gained from books, that experience which can never be
attained by solitary diligence, but must arise from general converse and accurate observation of the living world."
It is this combination of the raw and the refined, of the real and the ideal that Fielding has created in his "comic
epic-poem in prose."

Fielding maintains a positive outlook in the book, emphasizing charitable and virtuous action. Adams is a
pugilistic parson, and both he and Joseph always act on their beliefs, defending them by force if necessary. Adams
is offended by the insipid Methodist doctrine of faith against good works; to him, human beings distinguish
themselves by what they do: "a virtuous and good Turk, or heathen, is more acceptable in the sight of their Creator
than a vicious and wicked Christian, though his faith was as perfectly orthodox as St. Paul's himself." In a similar
vein, Fielding advocates through Joseph a degree of control. Joseph's self-restraint contrasts with Lady Booby's
turbulent passion, on which her reason has little effect. But Fielding's treatment is always warm; Lady Booby, for
example, is not savagely condemned; Fielding's reason is not Swift's. In Joseph Andrews, Fielding has written with
both his head and his heart; he has refused some things and assented warmly to others so that the positive delight
which we take in a book that admittedly has echoes of Shamela shows how far he has traveled in his literary craft.

Character Analysis

-Joseph Andrews: Joseph's chief attributes are his self-control, his virtue, and his devotion. He is attractive
physically, as Lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop are well aware, and his character matches this exterior excellence. The
strength of his pure love for Fanny Goodwill enables him to deal plainly, directly, and even violently with the moral
and physical weaklings who cross his path, be it the lustful Lady Booby or the insect of a man, Beau Didapper.
Joseph is a man of genuine emotion, and it is this which inspires him to the virtuous action which Fielding

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believed so important: "I defy the wisest man in the world to turn a true good action into ridicule," Joseph
comments in Book III. Joseph, however, would be a bore if he were only a knight-like figure. Fielding enhances his
moralizing by giving us much rich laughter. It is true that Joseph is always ready to do battle for a stranger, but,
throughout the novel, Joseph battles most for his chastity and it is this satiric reversal which is the basis of
Fielding's "comic epic-poem."

-Fanny: As with Joseph, Fanny's outward beauty is matched by her inner qualities. She has sensibility,
sweetness, and gentility; in short, she is the perfect object for Joseph's love, and the way in which she immediately
takes to the road in search of Joseph after hearing of his plight testifies that she too has a depth of feeling all too
rare in this novel. Yet she also possesses a deep sense of modesty; and, in all honesty, one must admit that Fanny is
a little too perfect. But part of her charm is in the way Fielding uses her in his comic contrasts. Whether we are
seeing Mrs. Slipslop huffily "forgetting" the name of this "impertinent" girl, or Lady Booby plagued to distraction
by the mention of Fanny's beauty, the emphasis is on Fielding's satire of hypocrisy rather than on Fanny's pristine
goodness itself.

-Lady Booby: Lady Booby is everything that Joseph and Fanny are not; attached to town life, blind to her own
motives and consequently to those of others, shallow in her feelings and thus scornful of those who do feel deeply,
her dangerous legal maneuvers in Book IV have extremely unpleasant implications. Throughout the novel, Lady
Booby's reason and her passion are at odds; she is clearly the agent of confusion in Fielding's comic plan. Her
mental muddle works against the resolution toward which he is drawing his characters, her selfishness denies the
love on which this resolution is based, and her concern for her reputation exile her from the novel's happy ending.
Yet the energy and vividness with which Lady Booby is portrayed in her turmoils prevent us from seeing her as a
supreme villainess; she is more than a pawn in Fielding's game. She embodies the struggles which we all have at
times: "I despise, I detest my passions. Yet why?"

-Mrs. Slipslop: At the beginning of Chapter 5 (Book I), Fielding points out that he often uses Slipslop as a foil
to her mistress, Lady Booby. By making them both fall for Joseph, Fielding can point out the "different operations
of this passion of love in the gentle and cultivated mind of Lady Booby, from those which it affected in the less-
polished disposition of Mrs. Slipslop." Slipslop is a foil and also a coarse echo of Lady Booby; she is vain and proud
and thus is "a mighty affecter of hard words" toward those whom she considers her inferiors, such as Mrs. Grave-
airs and Fanny Goodwill. Yet there are also crucial differences between Slipslop and her mistress. Slipslop is
ridiculous in a warm way; we laugh kindly at the incongruity of a fat, pimply, red-faced, lame, forty-five-year-old
slob pursuing Joseph. But at least she is direct in her physical desires; when Adams mistakenly enters her bed, she
realizes that he is not Joseph, but that he is better than nothing. Lady Booby could never do this. Slipslop may be a
snob in some matters, but she is always superbly practical.

-Parson Adams: Adams is a very good man and yet a very human man; he has his head in the clouds and
although his feet are on the ground, they are usually in puddles. Comic though he is, he is the firm pivot of the
novel's moral influence. It is his belief in charitable action which distinguishes him as a parson from such
hypocritical boors as Trulliber. Like Joseph and Fanny, he acts on his feelings, and it is because of this affinity that
he is such a fine guardian and guide to the young pair.

The devious ways of the world wash off Adams as surely as the filth of the pigsty or the muck of the chamber pot,
for he trusts his learning to books. This unchanging quality of innocence will Adams never learn about money?
is part of Adams' worth as a character. Throughout the novel, he never develops, never changes, but we know
what he stands for; he is ever active, ever charitable.

Major themes
-The Vulnerability and Power of Goodness
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Goodness was a preoccupation of the litte rateurs of the eighteenth century no less than of the moralists. In an age
in which worldly authority was largely unaccountable and tended to be corrupt, Fielding seems to have judged
that temporal power was not compatible with goodness. In his novels, most of the squires, magistrates,
fashionable persons, and petty capitalists are either morally ambiguous or actively predatory; by contrast, his
paragon of benevolence, Parson Adams, is quite poor and utterly dependent for his income on the patronage of
squires. As a corollary of this antithesis, Fielding shows that Adams's extreme goodness, one ingredient of which is
ingenuous expectation of goodness in others, makes him vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous worldlings.
Much as the novelist seems to enjoy humiliating his clergyman, however, Adams remains a transcendently vital
presence whose temporal weakness does not invalidate his moral power. If his nave good nature is no antidote to
the evils of hypocrisy and unprincipled self-interest, that is precisely because those evils are so pervasive; the
impracticality of his laudable principles is a judgment not on Adams or on goodness for itself but on the world.

-Charity & Religion

Fieldings novels are full of clergymen, many of whom are less than exemplary; in the contrast between the
benevolent Adams and his more self-interested brethren, Fielding draws the distinction between the mere formal
profession of Christian doctrines and that active charity which he considers true Christianity. Fielding advocated
the expression of religious duty in everyday human interactions: universal, disinterested compassion arises from
the social affections and manifests itself in general kindness to other people, relieving the afflictions and
advancing the welfare of mankind. One might say that Fieldings religion focuses on morality and ethics rather
than on theology or forms of worship; as Adams says to the greedy and uncharitable Parson Trulliber, Whoever
therefore is void of Charity, I make no scruple of pronouncing that he is no Christian.

-Providence

If Fielding is skeptical about the efficacy of human goodness in the corrupt world, he is nevertheless determined
that it should always be recompensed; thus, when the "good" characters of Adams, Joseph, and Fanny are helpless
to engineer their own happiness, Fielding takes care to engineer it for them. The role of the novelist thus becomes
analogous to that of God in the real world: he is a providential planner, vigilantly rewarding virtue and punishing
vice, and Fielding's overtly stylized plots and characterizations work to call attention to his designing hand. The
parallel between plot and providence does not imply, however, that Fielding navely expects that good will always
triumph over evil in real life; rather, as Judith Hawley argues, "it implies that life is a work of art, a work of
conscious design created by a combination of Providential authorship and individual free will." Fielding's author
concern for his characters, then, is not meant to encourage his readers in their everyday lives to wait on the favor
of a divine author; it should rather encourage them to make an art out of the business of living by advancing and
perfecting the work of providence, that is, by living according to the true Christian principles of active
benevolence.

-Town and Country

Fielding did not choose the direction and destination of his heros travels at random; Joseph moves from the town
to the country in order to illustrate, in the words of Martin C. Battestin, a moral pilgrimage from the vanity and
corruption of the Great City to the relative naturalness and simplicity of the country. Like Mr. Wilson (albeit
without having sunk nearly so low), Joseph develops morally by leaving the city, site of vanity and superficial
pleasures, for the country, site of virtuous retirement and contented domesticity. Not that Fielding had any
utopian illusions about the countryside; the many vicious characters whom Joseph and Adams meet on the road
home attest that Fielding believed human nature to be basically consistent across geographic distinctions. His

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claim for rural life derives from the pragmatic judgment that, away from the bustle, crime, and financial pressures
of the city, those who are so inclined may, as Battestin puts it, attend to the basic values of life.

-Affectation, Vanity, and Hypocrisy

Fieldings Preface declares that the target of his satire is the ridiculous, which the only Source of the true
Ridiculous is affectation and that Affectation precedes from one of these two Causes, Vanity, or Hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy, being the dissimulation of true motives, is the more dangerous of these causes: whereas the vain man
merely considers himself better than he is, the hypocrite pretends to be other than he is. Thus, Mr. Adams is vain
about his learning, his sermons, and his pedagogy, but while this vanity may occasionally make him ridiculous, it
remains entirely or virtually harmless. By contrast, Lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop counterfeit virtue in order to
prey on Joseph, Parson Trulliber counterfeits moral authority in order to keep his parish in awe, and Peter Pounce
counterfeits contented poverty in order to exploit the financial vulnerabilities of other servants, and so on.
Fielding chose to combat these two forms of affectation, the harmless and the less harmless, by poking fun at
them, on the theory that humor is more likely than invective to encourage people to remedy their flaws.

-Chastity

As his broad hints about Joseph and Fannys euphoric wedding night suggest, Fielding has a fundamentally
positive attitude toward sex; he does prefer, however, that peoples sexual conduct be in accordance with what
they owe to God, each other, and themselves. In the mutual attraction of Joseph and Fanny there is nothing
licentious or exploitative, and they demonstrate the virtuousness of their love in their eagerness to undertake a
lifetime commitment and in their compliance with the Anglican forms regulating marriage, which require them to
delay the event to which they have been looking forward for years. If Fielding approves of Joseph and Fanny,
though, he does not take them too seriously; in particular, Josephs male-chastity is somewhat incongruous given
the sexual double-standard, and Fielding is not above playing it for laughs, particularly while the hero is in
London. Even militant chastity is vastly preferable, however, to the loveless and predatory sexuality of Lady Booby
and those like her: as Martin C. Battestin argues, Josephs chastity is amusing because extreme; but it functions
nonetheless as a wholesome antithesis to the fashionable lusts and intrigues of high society.

-Class & Birth

Joseph Andrews is full of class distinctions and concerns about high and low birth, but Fielding is probably less
interested in class difference per se than in the vices it can engender, such as corruption and affectation. Naturally,
he disapproves of those who pride themselves on their class status to the point of deriding or exploiting those of
lower birth: Mrs. Grave-airs, who turns her nose up at Joseph, and Beau Didapper, who believes he has a social
prerogative to prey on Fanny sexually, are good examples of these vices. Fielding did not consider class privileges
to be evil in themselves; rather, he seems to have believed that some people deserve social ascendancy while
others do not. This view of class difference is evident in his use of the romance convention whereby the plot turns
on the revelation of the heros true birth and ancestry, which is more prestigious than everyone had thought.
Fielding, then, is conservative in the sense that he aligns high class status with moral worth; this move amounts
not so much to an endorsement of the class system as to a taking it for granted, an acceptance of class terms for
the expression of human value.

Essay Questions
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1-Discuss the genre of Joseph Andrews. What is the comic Epic-Poem in Prose?
According to Fielding, what distinguishes comedy from burlesque, and why is the
distinction important?

The comic epic poem in prose is a work of prose fiction with elements of comedy, epic, and romance. It is epic in
length and in variety of incident; the quest format of the plot is typical of both epic and romance, as are the many
quixotic battles and adventures and the heros love motive. Fielding presents his characters comically in that they
are primarily low characters whom he has drawn from everyday life rather than idealizing them; though his
Sentiments and Diction are humorous, however, he does not mock or travesty his characters, as in burlesque, but
preserves their humanity. The burlesque differs from comedy in that it displays monstrous characters and vices
that do not occur in real life; Fielding rejects it because his aim is to use humor constructively by exposing real-life
failings.

2- Discuss Fieldings representation of goodness. What are its positive attributes

Fielding understands true goodness as expressing itself in active social benevolence rather than in adherence to
the particularities of any doctrine, whether Christian or otherwise. This kind of goodness is potentially very
effectual in promoting the welfare of mankind, but it is also prone to subversion. Since goodness arises from
spontaneous, sociable feelings of benevolence, it involves the assumption of good faith in others; when that
assumption is mistaken, the good man can be exploited and his good intentions thwarted, as the case of Adams
demonstrates.

3- Discuss the tone of the novel. Does the ironic presentation of the characters
undermine the novels moral message of active benevolence?

By poking fun at his characters and narrating the story in the third person, Fielding puts an ironic distance
between his reader and his characters. This distance prevents our identifying with the characters, so that, in the
words of one critic, we focus on [a given character], not through him. Perhaps one might argue that this
objectification of the characters prevents our sympathizing with them, and since sympathetic identification with
others is precisely what Fieldings moral message enjoins, his narrative method would seem to be encouraging
just the wrong kind of outlook. At the same time, however, one should remember that Fielding says explicitly that
he does not want readers to consider his characters real human beings: he describes not an Individual, but a
Species, and the characters are exemplary types, not slavish imitations of reality. Seen in this way, Fieldings
distanced and sometimes harsh view of his characters does not contradict his injunction of interpersonal
sympathy.

4- Consider Mr. Adams as an alter ego of the novelist. What characteristics does
he share with Fielding? What might their likeness suggest about the moral
message of the novel?

Fielding evidently views Adams as being somehow in a different class from the rest of the characters, as he is the
only character whom Fielding mentions in the Preface. Adams also epitomizes the qualities that Fielding most
values, such as generosity, sociability, courage, and classical erudition. The identification between novelist and
parson should not, of course, be overstated, particularly in light of Fieldings delight in humiliating Adams. Insofar
as Adams is ridiculous, though, he discredits not himself nor Fieldings values but the world around him, which is
so corrupt that it will always make the practice of virtue appear foolish.

5- What role does providence play in the novel?

Fieldings good characters attract trouble like magnets, but the novelist always rescues them before they have
incurred any irreparable damage. Their troubles multiply because in Fieldings moral vision, it is in the nature of
goodness to make the good person vulnerable to the selfish acts of vicious people. If he is skeptical about the
ability of good people to get by in the world, however, Fielding nevertheless is no pessimist: the apparently divine
protection that his plot affords to Adams and his companions is Fieldings way of indicating that whatever meager
impact individual goodness may have on the world is providential, a contribution to the betterment of the
condition of mankind.

6- Discuss Fieldings presentation of character. Are the characters naturalistic,

Fieldings characters are for the most part two-dimensional; in describing not Individuals, but a Species, Fielding
creates his characters as universal types. The logic behind this method of characterization is didactic: Fielding
uses his characters to embody abstract concepts and principles because It is a trite but true Observation, which
Examples work more forcibly on the Mind than Precepts. The characters are exemplary in the sense that they are
more significant for being examples of certain eternal features of human nature than for the determinate
personalities with which a more naturalistic presentation would endow them. Mr. Adams and Joseph may be at
least partial exceptions to this rule, depending on ones interpretation of them.

7- How does the novel evince Fieldings affinity for classical learning? What is the
significance of this affinity?

Fieldings interest in the classics manifests itself above all in the epic format of the novel but also in Parson
Adamss erudition, which leads him to sprinkle his conversation with Latin words and haul around a Greek
volume that others mistake for a treasonous document written in code. Adamss advocacy of the moral beauty of
Homer and other ancient writers vindicates classical values as a source of moral philosophy to complement the
Bible. On a literary level, Fielding seems determined to lend some erudition to the heretofore popular and
vernacular genre of the novel; as his primary allegiance is not to the modern world and its values and cultural
artifacts but rather to the classics and tradition, so he seeks to infuse the new genre of the novel with more
venerable literary forms and echoes.

8- How does the novel present human justice and its official representatives?

Fielding shows the failure of the English judicial system to address the problem of violence abroad in the
land. Justices are inattentive and pawns of the local gentry; lawyers like Scout supply legal pretexts for
powerful people to execute their predatory whims. The nominal enforcers of law and order, then, are just
as corrupt and self-interested as the criminals, though perhaps they are more decorous about it.

9- Is Joseph Andrews a novel of education, and if so, of whose education? Does

Josephs moral formation, seen primarily in his perfect commitment to his chastity, is apparently complete before
the commencement of the plot proper. During the course of the novel, however, he does grow cannier about the
motives and character of others, so that hypocrites such as the false-promising Squire become less able to fool
him. Joseph contrasts with Mr. Adams in this regard, as it is characteristic of Adamss ingenuous brand of goodness
that he should be incapable of learning from experience.

10- Discuss Fieldings presentation of class and birth.

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Fielding exposes social snobbery as a form of vanity in such characters as Mrs. Grave-airs, Mrs. Slipslop, Beau
Didapper, Leonora, and so on. He is not, however, so opposed to social snobbery that he is above using high birth
as shorthand for moral worth. Joseph would be an upstanding young Christian man no matter his class status, but
Fielding chooses to reveal at the end that the hero has all along been the son of a gentleman.

Describe the plot structure of Joseph Andrews.

Joseph Andrews is a novel which has been written by Henry Fielding. It was written taking
in account the Richardsons novel Pamela which was based upon the chastity of the
protagonist and her fight against odds that were threatening her life of virtue. Henry wrote
this novel at first to ridicule Richardsons version of female chastity but later on while
writing he emphasized that not only women were to be found chaste, but male chastity also
existed.

Plot and plot structure:

Plot is simply the events that comprise a story. In traditional storytelling techniques the plot
elements, or events, are outlined in a linear fashion. This is the easiest story for an audience
to follow because it relates the events simply. This type of story is unified by time. The first
event occurred first, the second occurred second, etc. In standard construction, each event
has cause and effect and the relationship between the cause and effect are evident.
These events follow the traditional three-act structure. Three-act structure clearly describes
exposition, conflict, and resolution. It is the one of the oldest and most common storytelling
structures.
Exposition:
Exposition sets up the storys trajectory. It provides the situation and provides the basis for
the conflict. The exposition must reveal character, provide event background and propel the
central characters toward the conflict.
Conflict:
Conflict is the key ingredient to effective drama. Stories need conflict to provide momentum.
Without conflict, characters have little reason to do anything and audiences have little
reason to watch. Conflicts may come from external forces acting on a character, or from a
characters own internal struggle.
Resolution:
Resolution completes the story by providing the finishing events. Resolutions for a story are
varied, but all resolutions should relate directly to the conflict. It is in the resolution that
most themes are made apparent.

The novel Joseph Andrew is based upon the brother of Pamela, who is Joseph. The character
of Joseph Andrew has been portrayed as handsome, exceptionally intelligent, a fast learner.
These qualities of him make his personality ever so attractive in the eyes of females.

The novel starts with an exposition given by Henry Fielding as to why he is writing this
novel. Fielding reinforces his opening argument and introduces his own work by remarking
that it was by keeping his sister's excellent example of virtue before him that Joseph
Andrews was able to preserve his own purity. The Plot in the novel is a culmination of
actions performed by various characters in this novel which happen in a sequenced manner.

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The characters are expressed in great length to make familiar of the habits and the nature of
theirs to the reader.
In the second chapter of the book, we are told about the qualities of Joseph. When he was
ten years old, Joseph Andrew served as bird-keeper and "whipper-in" of the pack of hounds
of Sir Thomas Booby. But due to his sweetness of voice and his failure to control the pack of
hounds, he is assigned work at the stables. His skillful handling of the horses is brought to
the attention of Sir Thomas who makes him Lady Boobys Footman. One of his duties was to
bear the lady's prayer book to church, and there his fine singing drew the attention of the
curate, Mr. Abraham Adams which is another important character of the novel.

Adams is not only an excellent scholar, but a man of good sense, good parts, and good
nature. Adams questions Joseph and is so impressed by his knowledge; he decides to
approach Lady Booby about teaching the boy Latin. As Lady Booby looks on Adams as a
domestic helper, she refuses Parson Adams request and takes Joseph to London.
Now the test of Joseph character is brought into readers notice. Going to London with Lady
Booby, Joseph is influencedby the fashions of the city, and Lady Booby begins to find him
more attractive than ever. Her closeness to Joseph draws many people gossips of them. The
death of Sir Thomas Booby confines Lady Booby to her house for a period of mourning, but
she soon begins to pursue Joseph.
Now the flashpoint or trigger starts in the novel by the following events which eventually set
out the protagonist on a journey. Lady Booby Calling Joseph to her bedside, she cunningly
tries to arouse his passions, but fails and gets angry with him. The head of all servants in the
house Mrs. Slipslop also tries the same thing with Joseph but her attempts are stopped short
when Lady Booby calls her in her room to discuss about Joseph Andrew. During their
discourse it is decided that Joseph is to be fired from his job and will have to leave the
premises immediately. Peter Pounce the Steward of the house is instructed to pay Josephs
salary and so Joseph begins his journey back to the country.
On his way to meet with fanny, Joseph is robbed by two ruffians, who take away from him all
his money and also his clothes and dump his unconscious body in a ditch. From there a
passing carriage notices him lying in the ditch and after some haggling between the
passengers of the carriage as to what should be done with Joseph, it is decided in the best
course of action by a lawyer, that they should help Joseph otherwise according to the law
they will be liable for Joseph death as they didnt help him. From there Joseph is taken to an
inn which is operated by Mr. and Mrs. Tow-house where he is taken care of by betty (a
servant) and a surgeon, who declares that Joseph chances of recovering seem less and that
his last rites should be read to him by a priest. Here Mr. Barnabus comes to Joseph and tells
him to repent his sins and ask for Gods forgiveness.
Now the long-term supporting role of Parson Adams character is infused with Joseph.
Luckily, Parson Adam is passing by that place towards London to present his sermons and
he stops by and finds Joseph. After the period of recovery, Joseph and Parson Adams set out
towards their journey to meet fanny. This is another important element in a novel where the
Protagonist goes on a quest to achieve his goals or things that he plans to do.A Funny
incident take place as Parson Adams accidently forgets to pay for his horse bill at the stable
and Joseph Andrew is left stranded at the inns stable. Here Parson Adams travelling on a
coach is told about Leonora and Horatio story by an old lady. However during this time,
Joseph is allowed to take the house and he meets Parson Adams at the next inn, where a
battle ensues between Parson Adams and the host of the inn.
From this point the conflict scenes in the novel start where things begin to take shape and
Adam and Parson Adams set out towards Fannys place. After both of them leave the inn,

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Parson Adams sets out of foot and races with carriage in which Joseph is riding. Soon after
sometimes he loses track of the carriage and comes on top of a hill and rests there. There he
meets a sportsman, and a conversation takes place regarding courage of men. Parson Adams
and the sportsman agree on their notions of courage but upon hearing the cries of a damsel
in distress, sportsman soon apologizes to Parson Adams that he cant help the lady and they
shouldnt interfere with it. But Parson Adams as courageous and right doer as he is, goes to
help the lady and beats the man senseless who is trying to have his way with the lady. While
Parson Adams is contemplating that he might have killed the man by landing hard blows, a
group of men come over there. Upon seeing the men, the guy feigning death rises up quickly
and blames Parson Adams and Fanny of robbing him. They are apprehended by the group
and taken to the justice. The men are happy about the reward of 80 pounds on capturing
robbers. Here for the first time, both the lady and the Parson recognize each other. Later
someone at the justice place recognizes Parson Adams and vouches for his credentials of
being a clergyman. On releasing of both Fanny and Parson Adams, they travel to the inn
where Joseph is staying and when both Fanny and Joseph see each other they are, they are
overjoyed and embrace each other. Now starts the element of surprise in a novel where the
protagonist is faced with obstacles, complications, conflict and trouble. Joseph wishes to get
married but both Mr. Adams and Fanny prefer a more patient approach. In the morning the
companions discover that they have another inn bill that they cannot pay, so Adams goes off
in search of the wealthy parson of the parish. Parson Trulliber, who spends most of his time
tending his hogs rather doing clerical duties, reacts badly to Adamss request for charity.
Adams returns to the inn with nothing to show for his efforts, but fortunately a generous
Peddler hears of the travelers problem and loans Adams the money he needs.
After a couple more miles on the road, the travelers encounter a gregarious Squire who
offers them generous hospitality and the use of his coach but then retracts these offers at
the last minute. Adams discusses this strange behavior with the innkeeper, who tells him
about the Squires long history of making false promises.
Walking on after nightfall, the companions encounter a group of spectral lights that Mr.
Adams takes to be ghosts but that turn out later to be the lanterns of sheep-stealers. The
companions flee the scene and find accommodations at the home of a family named Wilson.
After the women have retired for the evening, Mr. Adams and Joseph sit up to hear Mr.
Wilson tell his life story, which is about the troublesome life that Mr. Wilson led which was
changed by the love of a good woman. Wilson also mentions the loss of his elder son, who
was abducted by a gypsy woman.
After leaving Mr. Wilsons place they begin their journey. After a while, they stop to rest and
are attacked by a pack of hunting dogs. They tear Parson Adams clothes as he sleeps without
knowing what is happening around him. Joseph and his cudgel come to the parsons
defense, laying waste to the pack of hounds. The owner of the hounds, a sadistic Squire is at
first inclined to be angry about the damage to his dogs, but as soon as he sees the lovely
Fanny he changes his plans and invites the companions to his house for dinner.
The Squire and his group of friends taunt Mr. Adams throughout dinner, prompting the
parson to fetch Joseph and Fanny from the kitchen and leave the house. The Hunter sends
his servants after them with orders to abduct Fanny, whom he has been planning all along to
debauch. The servants find the companions at an inn the next morning, and after another
epic battle they succeed in tying Adams and Joseph to a bedpost and making off with Fanny.
Luckily for Fanny, however, a group of Lady Boobys servants come along, recognize the
milkmaid, and rescue her from her captors. They then proceed to the inn where Adams and
Joseph are tied up, and Joseph gets to take out his frustrations on Fannys abductor before
they all set off again on their journey. The companions finally arrive home in Lady Boobys

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parish, and Lady Booby herself arrives shortly thereafter. At church on Sunday she hears Mr.
Adams announce the wedding plan of Joseph and Fanny, and later in the day she summons
the parson. She claims to oppose the marriage of the young lovers on the grounds that they
will raise a family of beggars in the parish. When Adams refuses to cooperate with Lady
Boobys efforts to keep the lovers apart, Lady Booby summons a lawyer named Scout, who
conjures up a legal problem for preventing the marriage. Two days later Joseph and Fanny
are brought before the Justice of the Peace, who is perfectly willing to carry out whatever
Lady Booby plans.

The arrival of Lady Boobys nephew, Mr. Booby, and his new wife, who happens to be
Josephs Sister Pamela, thwarts the legal proceedings and tries to dissuade Joseph from
marrying Fanny. Here a critical choice is presented to Joseph whether he should or shouldnt
marry Fanny based upon the pressings of his sister, Pamela. Next day, Fanny taking a walk
near Booby Hall endures an assault by a gentleman named Beau Didapper but when he fails
to have his way with Fanny, he gives the task to a servant and walks off. Fortunately, Joseph
intervenes before the servant can get very far.
Joseph and Fanny arrive at the Adams home, where Mr. Adams counsels Joseph to be
moderate and rational in his attachment to his future wife. Just as Adams finishes his
recommendation of detachment, someone arrives to tell him that his youngest son, Dick, has
just drowned in the river. Mr. Adams not acting on his own preaching of patience cries over
the loss of his son, who miraculously comes running up to the house after been rescued
from drowning by the same Peddler who earlier saved the travelers from one of their inns.
Adams rejoices and whole heartedly thanks the Peddler.
Meanwhile, Lady Booby is plotting to use Beau Didapper to come between Joseph and
Fanny. She takes him, along with Mr. Booby and Pamela, to the Adams household, where the
Beau attempts to fondle Fanny and incurs the wrath of Joseph. When the assembled Boobys
suggest to Joseph that he is wasting his time on the milkmaid, Joseph departs with his
betrothed, vowing to have nothing more to do with any relations who will not accept Fanny.
Until now the above mentioned plot is full of conflicts, but now the climax of the story takes
place, where things seem to be at their outmost peril and the resolution of it becomes
necessary.
Joseph, Fanny, the Pedlar, and Parson Adam all dine together at an alehouse that night.
There, the Pedlar reveals that he has discovered that Fanny is in fact the long-lost daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, which would make her the sister of Joseph and thereby not eligible
to be his wife. Lady Booby rejoices to learn that Joseph and Fanny have been discovered to
be siblings. Everyone then gathers at the booby Hall, where Mr. Booby advises everyone to
remain calm and withhold judgment until the next day, when Mr. and Mrs. Andrews will
arrive and presumably will clear things up. During the night various scenes take place where
Beau didapper tries getting into fannys bed but mistakenly gets into Mrs. Slipslops bed
while Parson Adams comes to Mrs. Slipslops rescue and then accidently sleeps over in
Fannys bedroom.
Joseph and Fanny vow that if they turn out really to be siblings, they will both remain
celibate. Now comes the part where the reversal of climax takes place, pacifying the
problems faced by the protagonist. Later that morning Mr. and Mrs. Andrews arrive, and
soon it emerges that Fanny is indeed their daughter, stolen from her cradle and it also
emerges that Joseph is not really their son but the changeling baby they received in place of
Fanny. The Pedlar suddenly thinks of the Wilson family, who long ago lost a child with a
distinctive birth-mark on his chest, and so it happens that Joseph bears just such a

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distinctive birth-mark. Mr. Wilson himself is luckily coming through the gate of Booby Hall at
that very moment, so the reunion between father and son takes place on the spot.
The aspect of resolution is now occurring and the story is close to its ending asJoseph and
Fanny are married and other characters return back to their lives, Pastor Adams is given
back his clerical duties and Lady Booby returns back to London to her life of flirtations.
Conclusion:
Plot structure is highly important for a good novel. The novels of 18 th century also known as
early novels were based on loose plots where the plots werent systematically described to
the reader. As the novel proceeded into 19 th and 20th century, its plot structure became more
cohesive, and started the era of modern novel. The portrayal of step by step sequences of the
various happenings in a novel intermingled together to make a single compact well-
composed plot. The plot of Joseph Andrews is made up of various scenes which gives it
unity. This structure marks a great advance from the more basic sequences of events that
can be found in Defoe's novels or more limited perspective of a single story presented by
Richardson.Fieldings novel containsvariety of characters belonging to all classes, and his
extensive depiction of societal workings constitutes a true, broad picture of the society that
was found in the 18th century.

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