Novel

Joseph Andrews as a Picaresque Novel:

The title page of Henry Fielding’s first novel reads as follows: “The history of the
adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his friend Mr. Abraham Adams, Written in
imitation of the Manner of Cervantes, Author of Don Quixote.” The allusion to
Cervantes and his masterpiece Don Quixote is significant as it shows Fielding’s
indebtedness to Cervantes. Parson Adams is indeed a truly Quixotic figure, and the
structure of the book also follows Cervantes’ picaresque model. Joseph Andrews is
a novel of adventures met while travelling on the road. Joseph loses his
employment in Lady Booby’s service in London, on his way home to the country to
his sweetheart Fanny, he meets Parson Adams. Together they run all kinds of
adventures meeting a host of characters from low and middle-class layers of
society: innkeepers, chambermaids, country squires and clergymen.

The picaresque tradition belongs to Spain and derived from the word “picaro”,
meaning a rogue or a villain. The picaresque originally involved the misadventure
of the rogue-hero, mainly on the highway. Soon, however, the rogue was replaced
by a conventional hero – gallant and chivalric. The comic element lay in the nature
of the hero’s adventures, through which, generally, society was satirized.

Fielding’s affinity with picaresque model appears first of all in the representation
of rogue and villainy; secondly, in the humorous style which often takes a mock-
heroic turn, and in the geniality of temperament; thirdly, in the portrait of
characters of certain lower classes of men and women; and finally, in the
humorous or satiric descriptions of the contents of the chapters and the
introduction of side stories or episodes into the main narrative.

Thus, the journey in Joseph Andrews is not a mere picaresque rambling, a device
solely for the purpose of introducing new adventures such as we find in the classic
picaresque story, , but an allegorical journey, a moral pilgrimage, from the vanity
and corruption of the city-life to the relative naturalness and simplicity of the
country. The picaresque motif helps Fielding to fulfill his aim of ridiculing the
affectations of human beings. The different strata of society can be represented
through the picaresque mode. The travelers meet squires, innkeepers, landladies,
persons, philosophers, lawyers and surgeons, beggars, pedlars and robbers and
rogues. Fielding’s satire is pungent as he presents the worldly and crafty priests
and the callous, vicious and inhuman country squires. Malice, selfishness, vanities,
hypocrisies, lack of charity, all are ridiculed as human follies.

The Picaresque novel is the loosest in plot – the hero is literally let loose on the
high road for his adventures. The hero wanders from place to place encountering
thieves and rogues, rescuing damsels in distress, fighting duels, falling in love,
being thrown in prison, and meeting a vast section of society. As the hero meets a
gamut of characters from the country squire to the haughty aristocrat, from
hypocrite to ill-tempered soldiers, the writer is able to introduce with the least
possible incongruity, the saint and the sinner, the virtuous and the vicious. The
writer has a chance to present the life, culture and morality prevalent in his time,
and to satirize the evils.

Fielding acknowledged his debt to Cervantes, whose Don Quixote is the best
known picaresque novel in Spanish.

Like the Don Quixote and Panza, Parson Adams and Joseph set out on a journey
which involves them in a series of adventures, some of them burlesque, at several
country inns or rural houses. Like the Don, Parson Adams is a dreamy idealist. But
there are differences, too, between Joseph Andrews and the picaresque tradition,
vital enough to consider Fielding’s novel as belonging to the genre of its own.

The central journey in Joseph Andrews is not mainly a quest for adventure as it is
in the picaresque tradition. It is a sober return journey homewards. Joseph and
Lady Booby are taken to London and the reader is given a glimpse of society’s ways
in that great city.

It is in Chapter 10 of Book I that the picaresque element enters the novel, with
Joseph setting out in a borrowed coat towards home. The picaresque tradition is
maintained uptil the end of Book III. Joseph meets with the first misadventure
when he is set upon by robbers, beaten, stripped and thrown unconscious into a
ditch. A passing stage-coach and its passengers very reluctantly convey Joseph to
an inn. The incident gives ample scope to Fielding for satirizing the pretences and
affectations of an essentially inhuman society.

The Tow-wouse Inn provides a grim picture of callous human beings – the vain and
ignorant surgeon and the drinking parson. Once again kindness and generosity
come from an apparently immoral girl, Betty the chambermaid. With the arrival of
Parson Adams, the picaresque journey takes on a more humorous tone, with
plenty of farce. The encounter with the “Patriot” who would like to see all cowards
banged but who turns tail at the first sight of danger, leads to the meeting with
Fanny. She is rescued by Adams in proper picaresque-romance style with hero.
Several odd characters are met on the way – such as the hunting squire – the
squire who makes false promises. Then comes the abduction of Fanny – and the
reintroduction of something more serious.
We also have the interpolated stories, which belong to the picaresque tradition. In
his use of this device, Fielding shows how far he has come from the picaresque
school.

To conclude, Joseph Andrews has a rather rambling and discursive narrative, which
makes us to believe that it is a picaresque novel. But, on the whole, it is not a
picaresque novel rather the picaresque mode has helped him in the development
of his comic theory – that of ridiculing the affectations of human beings.

“Joseph Andrews” a comic epic in prose:

It is true that we can term “Joseph Andrews” as a ‘comic epic poem in
prose’ because it has almost all the prerequisites that are important for labeling it
as a ‘comic epic poem in prose’.
Fielding himself termed it as a ‘comic epic poem in prose’ in the “Preface to
Joseph Andrews”. The impetus for the novel, as Fielding claims in the preface, is
the establishment of a genre of writing "which I do not remember to have been
hitherto attempted in our language", defined as the "comic epic in prose": a
work of prose fiction, epic in length and variety of incident and character. Fielding
has combined the ideal of ‘comic epic’ and the ‘prose epic’ to produce what he
termed as ‘comic epic poem in prose’.The comic tone of the novel is enhanced by
the mock-heroic style, for Fielding admitted burlesque in the diction. It is
instrumental in heightening the ridiculous nature of situation and affectations.
A heroic epic has a towering hero, grand theme, a continuous action, a journey to
underworld, wars, digressions, discovery, high seriousness, a high moral lesson
and bombastic diction in it and in“Joseph Andrews” there is an ordinary hero, a
journey from one place to another place, mock-wars, digressions, discovery,
humour, a high moral and a bombastic diction in it. Unlike a heroic epic, the hero
of “Joseph Andrews” is an ordinary boy. He is a foot-man of Lady Booby who has
fallen in love with him. But Joseph is very virtuous and chaste and therfore is
dismissed from his job. We can call “Joseph Andrews” as “The Odyssey on the
road” because both the works, Homer’s “Odyssey” and Fielding’s “Joseph
Andrews” in the first place involve a journey. Like Odysseus, Joseph Andrews after
the displeasure of a lady, sets out on his way home and meets with many
misfortunes on the way. So it would be fairly justified to call Joseph Andrews “ an
epic of the highway full of adventures, horseplay and not too decent fun.”
Through the journey of Joseph, Fielding satirizes the society of the day and
ridicules them. The corrupt and hypocritical clergy, Parson Trilluber and Parson
Barnabas, individual like Lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop, the Squire of Fools and the
Squire of False Promises have been satirized.

The element of wars and conflicts is very important in an epic and it is no

exception in “Joseph Andrews”. First of all, there is a conflict between lusty
advances of lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop and chastity of Joseph. Also there is a
conflict between generosity of Parson Adams and misely Parson Trulliber and Mrs.
Tow- Wouse.Then we see some real action in the form of a war in an inn where
Joseph was insulted by the host. Parson Adams was annoyed and challenged the
host. There started the first war between both the parties. The funny situation of
the bloody fight in which Parson Adams gets doused in hog’s blood is described in
Homeric terms. Then Parson Adams rescues Fanny from a ruffian and then, a
squire attacks Parson Adams with his hounds and a fierce battle is fought between
hunter’s hounds and parson Adams. Joseph’s encounter with the dogs let loose on
Parson Adams is described in epic-style. Similarly There are many other epical
elements in the novel to call it a comic epic.

Another epic convention is the use of digression. There are two major digressions
in “Joseph Andrews”. There are, seemingly, irrelevant stories of Leonara and Mr.
Wilson. Epic writers considered them as embellishments. Fielding, however, makes
the interpolations thematically relevant. For, these are not irrelevant in reality.

The formula of discovery, as described by Aristotle, an essential element of an

epic, has also been used by Fielding. In the end of the novel, we see that Joseph is
recognized to be Mr. Wilson’s child and Fanny as the sister of virtuous Pamela.

High seriousness is an important element in epic. But in “Joseph Andrews” there is

a great deal of comedy and humour, because it is a comic epic novel; indeed in
Joseph Andrews the comic point of view is sustained throughout the novel. But
behind this comedy, there lies a serious purpose of reformation. We have a gamut
of vain and hypocritical characters in Parson Trilluber, Parson Barnabas,
passengers in the stage-coach, Mr. Tow-wouse, Mrs. Slipslop, Peter Pounce and
the various Squires. The surgeon and the lawyer and the magistrate are also some
other example of hypocrisy and vanity. Each of these characters provides a great
deal of humour and amusement under a serious purpose.

Every epic has a moral lesson in it and this is no exception with a comic epic.
Fielding’s views on morality are practical, full of common sense and tolerance,
liberal, flexible and more realistic. These are devoid of prudish and rigid codes.
Fielding wanted to tear the veil of vanity and hypocrisy.

The use of grand, bombastic and elevated language is an important element in an

epic. It has heroic diction. But in “Joseph Andrews” we see that Fielding has used
prose for poetry because it brings us close to the real and actual life and it is much
more suitable for Fielding’s purpose of dealing with comic epic. However, his use
of prose is very good, up to the mark and apt for his novel.
So, we can conclude that the theory of the ‘comic epic poem in prose’ as described
by Fielding in the preface of “Joseph Andrews” manifests itself in the novel.
Fielding has assimilated the rules and adapted them to his way of writing so well
that we are not consciously aware of the formal principles which give unity to his
materials. According to Thornbury, “Joseph Andrews” by Fielding is: “An art which
conceals art, but is the art of a conscious artist.”
Realism in Joseph Andrews:
Realism means conceiving and representing the things as they are. Henry Fielding
is widely regarded as the first great realist in English novel. He is among the few
writers who, despite the wideness of their scope are capable of observing the
demands of reality with perpetual ease. His novels hold up to view a
representative picture of his age. He is as authentic a chronicler of his day as
Chaucer was of the later 14th century.
It is true that Richardson and Defoe have some claim to have brought realism to
English fiction, it is Fielding who can be called the real pioneer in realistic mode of
novel writing. Fielding reacted against Richardson’s sentimentalism as a falsifying
influence on the study of reality, although he does not reject sentimentalism
altogether. “His desire”, says Cazamian, “is to give sentiment its right place; but
also to integrate it in an organic series of tendencies where each contributes to
maintain a mutual balance.”
Fielding’s realism is called “universal realism” as well as global. As Fielding says in
the Preface to “Joseph Andrews”:“I believe I might aver that I have writ little
more than I have seen.”
Fielding’s novels present the fairly comprehensive picture of English society in 18th
century. Though Fielding does not give us material about the environment of the
people, yet their mental and moral characteristics are displayed with “power of
realism”. The landlords, landladies, doctors, lawyers, clergyman, postilions and
coachmen – all go towards making the picture of society as comprehensive as
possible. Fielding rejects burlesque and caricature, inspiring laughter with humour
and amazing realism. The novel is infused with compassion, comedy, and a
heightened sense of realism, which together turn into a vivid manifestation of the
cankers of the society.

The eighteenth century society which appears on the pages of “Joseph

Andrews” is not very pleasant picture. It is marked by an astounding callousness
and selfishness. The insensitive hardness of such a society is brilliantly portrayed
by stage-coach passengers who are reluctant to admit the naked wounded Joseph
on account of various pretexts. Only the poor postillion offers a great coat “his
only garment”, and vows that he would rather remain in a shirt than “suffer a
fellow-creature to lie in so miserable a condition.” The surgeon, who is
summoned to look at Joseph’s wounds at the inn, refuses to come out of his
comfortable bed for a mere foot passenger. Parson Trulliber, who uses his
Christian teachings to speak against beggars and refuses to lend Adam even a few
shillings, scornfully declares: “I know what charity is better than to give it to
vagabonds.”
We have also flashes of kindness amongst this all repressive inhumanity. Parson
Adams, the postilion, the reformed Mr. Wilson, Betty the chambermaid and four
peddlers are only ones to act with generosity.

The society is divided into clear cut classes – the high and the low. Dudden notices
a " gulf which seems to separate the classes–the ‘high people' from the ‘low
people..."
The two classes may have dealings with one another in private, as Fielding tells us,
but they scrupulously refuse to recognize each other in public. The rich regard
themselves as the better and superior in every sense to the poor. Lady Booby
could not think in her wildest dreams of admitting Adams to her table, for she
considers him to be badly dressed. Mrs. Slipslop does not deign to recognize a
‘nobody’ like Fanny at an inn. While Fielding exposes such behaviour to ridicule,
we realize the hollow pretension of a society which indulged in so much of
affectation.

The professional classes in general show a marked inefficiency and indifference.

They do not take their work seriously. Parson Barnabas, Parson Trulliber, the rural
magistrate, the Lawyer Scout – all are the illustration of the corrupt and selfish
aristcracy of the day. Parson Adams is merely one good being against so many bad
clergymen.

In his novel, Fielding has concentrated more on the countryside. But the little that
he describes of town society is enough to give us its characteristics. The wealthy
society of the town shows a high degree of degeneracy. The story of Mr. Wilson
and Leonora as well as Joseph short stay in London provide us with the clear idea
about the vulgarity, degeneration of morals, the vanity and hypocrisy which
infested town society.

Fielding represents human nature as truthfully as he presents the society. Fielding

effuses realism into his characters and his vivid dialogues. He presents before us
the complete reality and does not intentionally ignore anything. In his Preface
Fielding writes: “I have scarce a character or action produced which I have not
taken from my own observations and experience.”
Fielding does not project realistic picture of society for mere entertainment. He
has a moral purpose behind the realism. To laugh making out of folly is his
professed aim. He satirizes people in order to reform them:“I have endeavored to
laugh at mankind, out to their follies and vices.”
Fielding shows a broad tendency of realism in “Joseph Andrews”. Social,
psychological, individual as well as moral reality can be seen in the novel.
“As a painter of real life, he was equal to Hogarth; as a mere observer of human
nature he was little inferior to Shakespeare.”
He not merely presented society but also criticized it in order to make the world a
better place to live in.
 Parson Adams: Character Analysis
Although Fielding's first novel bears the title Joseph Andrews, its main interest
centers in Parson Adams. The immense popularity enjoyed by the novel can be
fully attributed to him. In fact, it is difficult to imagine even the existence of this
novel without the endearing figure of the absent–minded Parson Adams. “If he is
not the real hero of the book”,says Dobson,”he is undoubtedly the character
whose fortunes the reader follows with the closest interest.”
Dudden remarks:“The agreeable youngman, Joseph may be the centre of plot;
but it is the ‘old foolish parson’ that is the centre of interest.”
Adams is one of the most original creations; Fielding himself claims that he is ‘not
to be found in any book now extant’. 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”. While all other characters
remain types, 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
manages to confront the physical obstacles of the world in the most awkward
ways, and prides himself rather too much as a teacher of Latin and as a writer of
sermons.
Adams’ physical appearance is really interesting. He has a “comical face, with
bearded chin and deeply wrinkled cheeks”, a fist “rather less than the knuckle of
an ox”, with a wrist, ”which Hercules would not have been ashamed of”. His legs
are so long that they almost touch the ground when he drives on his horse’s back.
He usually wears a “tattered old cassock” and a “periwig” on his head. In addition,
he is in the habit of snapping his fingers. He has so shabby an appearnce that
Parson Trulliber mistakes him for a hog-dealer.
Adams serves as the novel's moral touchstone;Fielding bestowed on his exemplary
parson, childlike innocence: “He is an innocent … so completely sincere in his
beliefs and actions that he can’t imagine insincerity in other; he takes everyone
he meets at face-value”. Adams is a dreamy idealist;he is as ignorant of the world
of his own day “as an infant just entered into it could possibly be”. The devious
ways of contemporary mankind are quite beyond his comprehension. Being naïve
and guileless he is constantly imposed upon. He is easily taken in by the
sentimental bragging of pseudo-patriot as by the pious platitudes of hypocrical
Parson Trulliber. Adams’ endless tribulations at the hands of others serve as an
index of society’s alienation from ethical and moral codes.
Although simpelton and naïve , Adams is a man of exceptional learning. Educated
at the university of Cambridge, he has made himself familiar with many languages,
and, in particular, has acquired masterly knowledge of the Greak and Latin:

“Mr. Abraham Adams was an excellent Scholar. He was a perfect Master of the
Greek and Latin Languages; to which he added a great Share of Knowledge in the
Oriental Tongues...”

His favourite author, however, is Aeschylus and he carries a transcript of

Aeschylean tragedies for more than thirty years. With the modern literature ---
except a few books of divinity---he does does not have even a nodding
acquaintance. The history of last thousand years is to him almost a blank.

Parson Adams is only a curate. He lives in the parsonage in Sir Thomas Booby’s
parish.He is about fifty years old and has a wife and six children whom he can
barely support on his very small income as a curate. He considers all his
parishioners, especially Joseph and Fanny, as his children. In contrast with Parson
Trulliber and Barnabas, Parson adams is extremely sincere in his profession .He
gets a very small income from the church but his virtue remains utterly
uncontaminated. He refuses to become a puppet in the hands of Lady Booby when
the latter forbids him to publish the banns of Joseph’s marriage with Fanny .

Fielding has made adams a comic character . He has made him absent-minded and
given him amusing mannerisms. However this does not detract Adams’ greatness
as a true Christian. Simple, kind, generous and courageous, Adams is the epitome
of true feeling and goodness of heart. Adams’ impulses always prompt him to help
anyone in distress.He is ever ready and ever willing to fight for the right cause.
Although fifty years of age, Adams is magnificently strong and healthy. He knows
how to use his huge fists in defending others.

Adams’s generosity, friendliness, and bravery appear to be tied to one another, as

indeed they ought to be according to Fielding’s moral scheme. In Adams, however,
bravery is excessive because he does not regulate it with prudence; “Simplicity,” or
naïveté, is certainly more present in Adams’s character than in any other in the
novel
Parson Adams establishes a sort of unadorned criterion of simplicity against vanity
and hypocricy of most of the other characters. He is a bundle of contradictions, a
delightful mixture of scholarship and simplicity, and pedantry and credulity. He is
eccentric and forgetful; he often leaves his hat and his sermons (which he intends
to sell) behind, and has to return for them.He lands into misadventure after
misadventure - he wanders from inn to inn without the means to pay his bills, he is
beaten, swindled and mocked at, he is involved in hilarious nightly adventures -but
he never loses his innate dignity and goodness. Martin C. Battestin sees in Adams
"the Christian hero, the representative of good nature and charity, which form the
heart of morality."

We can sum up above discussion in the words of Dudden: “Adams emerges from
testing adventures and experiences with his sweet temper unsoured, his
honourable character unsullied, and his innate dignity unimpaired”

Theme of Morality in Joseph Andrews

Henry Fielding undoubtedly holds moral views far-ahead of his times. Morality is
an approval or adherence to principles that govern ethical and virtuous conduct.

Fielding was accused of being immoral in his novels. Dr. Johnson called his
novels “vicious and corrupting”. Richardson echoed the “charge of
immorality” against him. Modern critics, however, has justified Fielding and gave
him a credit of “an estimable ethical code”. Strachey declared him a “deep,
accurate, scientific moralist”. Indeed neither “Joseph Andrews” nor “Tom
Jones” strikes the modern sensibility as ‘low’ or ‘immoral’ either in purpose or in
narration. Behind the truthful portrait of life, lies his broad moral vision. His aim
was to correct mankind by pointing out their blunders: “I have endeavored to
laugh at mankind, out to their follies and vices.”

Fielding reacted sharply against the code of ethics as incited by Richardson

in “Pamela”. He feels that Pamela’s virtue is an affectation and a commodity,
exchangeable for material benefits. Virtue cannot and should not be to chastity
alone. Mere external respectability is not morality. For Fielding: “Chastity without
goodness of heart is without value.”
A truly virtuous man is disregardful of material benefits. He is devoid of an
affectation.
He finds:
“A delight in the happiness of mankind and a concern at their misery, with a
desire, as much as possible, to procure the former and avert the latter …”

Fielding’s moral vision is much wider that Richardson’s. Morality is no longer

equated with chastity or outward decorum. It is broad enough to include every
aspect of human behaviour. One’s intentions, instincts, motives are equally
important in judging a man.

In “Joseph Andrews” we are confronted with a chameleonic society that quickly

changes its appearance to gratify personal lusts. Fielding’s aim was to show
human beings camuoflaged in various shades of vanity and hypocrisy and it is done
ruthlessly and wittily in “Joseph Andrews”.

The stage-coach scene is perhaps the best illustration of Fielding’s concept of

morality. In it we are confronted the haughty passengers which are all models of
hypocrisy. The coachman simply bids the postillion to "Go on, Sirrah, we are
confounded late”. The lady reacts in a contemptible manner: "O Jesus, a naked
Man! Dear Coachman, drive on". The old gentleman deems: "Let us make all the
haste imaginable, or we shall be robbed too".In addition there a lawyer
who “wished they had past by without taking any notice", although his final
advice is “to save the poor creature's life, for their own sakes”. At last, it is the
postillion, “ who hath been since transported for robbing a hen-roost, voluntarily
strips off a great coat, his only garment" and swears that he would rather remain
in a shirt than "suffer a fellow-creature to lie in so miserable a condition". Here
Fielding shows the contrast between the attitude of the rich passengers and that
of the poor Postillion. What sets him apart is not his class, but the fact that he
alone dismisses his own comfort and he is the only person who considers Joseph
a "fellow-creature" worthy of such rescue. Fielding emphatically declares: "High
People" are "People of Fashion", but that they are not "higher in their
Dimensions" nor in "their Characters". The journey undertaken by Joseph and
Parson Adams reveals vanity or hypocrisy at every stage.

It is significant that Parson Adams jumps with joy at the reunion of Fanny and
Joseph. It reflects an ability to sympathize with other’s feelings. Simple, kind,
generous and courageous, Adams is the epitome of true feeling and goodness of
heart which is a vital aspect of Fielding’s concept of morality. Adams’ impulses
always prompt him to help anyone in distress. He saves Fanny’s virginity two
times.
“He is an innocent … so completely sincere in his beliefs and actions that he can’t
imagine insincerity in other; he takes everyone he meets at face-value”.

Kindness achieved supreme importance in Fielding’s moral code. A good and a

moral man takes joy in helping others. Fielding says: “I don’t know a better
definition of virtue, than it is a delight in doing good.”

Fielding is as liberal in ridiculing affectation as he is hard on the lack of charity.

Adams’ definition: “A generously disposition to receive the poor”, is the simple
test employed to men by Fielding to check their capability of charity. When
Parson Adams asks for some shillings to Parson Trulliber, he declares in frenzy: “I
know what charity is better than to give it to vagabonds.”

This shows 18th century’s clergy’s degeneracy, who is reluctant to give some
shillings. The rich Parson Tulliber, Mrs. Tow-wouse, Lady Booby and Peter Pounce
lacks natural kindness whereas the poor postilion, Betty and Pedler are true
Christians, for they are ready to help other man in distress asking nothing in
return. But Mrs. Tow-wouse scornfully declares: “Common charity my foot.”

Fielding is against the prudish morality which considers sex as an unhealthy and
dangerous for human life. He favours a healthy attitude towards sex. But he does
not approve of Lady Booby’s desire for Joseph nor does he favour Mr. Slipslop’s
extreme whims. But Betty’s desires spring from a natural heart and feeling. It is
worth noticing that Betty is free of hypocrisy. She acts as ordered by her nature.
“She is good-natured generosity and composition.”
Summing up, Fielding’s concept of morality is realistic, tolerant, broad and fairly
flexible. Modern opinion has vindicated the moral vision of Fielding as healthy,
wide and practical.