Henry Fielding, The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams

Thomas R. Cleary (University of British Columbia)
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Henry Fielding's first major novel, “The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews, and of His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams” (1742) centers upon the maturational, character-testing and ultimately identity-clarifying experiences of Joseph Andrews, a virtuous and handsome footman “in his one and twentieth year,” who, in Fielding's mystery-hinting words, “was esteemed to be the only Son of Gaffer and Gammer Andrews, and Brother to the illustrious Pamela [heroine of Richardson's very successful novel of 1740,

Pamela or Virtue Rewarded

] whose Virtue is at present so famous.” A parodic travesty involving reversals in the genders (or ”clothing”) of the protagonist and upper-class antagonist of

Pamela

, previously mocked by Fielding in “Shamela” (1741), the novel's main action…

1845 words

Citation: Cleary, Thomas R.. "The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1642, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1642 The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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