Discuss ,Joseph Andrews as a social document English literature notes

How does Fielding as a satirist project his moral vision in Joseph Andrews
Or
What do you learn about life in England in the 18th century from your study of joseph Andrews?
Or
Discuss Joseph andews as a social document?
Or what light does joseph Andrews throw on life in contemporary London
Or show that joseph Andrews despite its realistic frankness is truly moral in purpose?

Discuss Joseph andews as a social document?

Joseph Andrews as a social document

Henry Fielding is considered to be the pioneer of the realistic novel in England. Defoe’s novels grounded in reality are romantic in spirit. They present romance in the grab of reality. Richardson’s realism is rather narrow and his so-called psychological realism fails to come up to our standards of realism. It is only in Fielding's novel that we perceive the beginning of realistic fiction. Fielding based all his novel on experience. In the preface of Joseph Andrews, he says “I believe I have written, little more than I have seen “ and there is no doubt about the fact that he had seen much.

Joseph Andrews presents a very realistic picture of the life of the English countryside in the first half of the 18th century. The first thing that strikes us about this society is it extraordinary callousness even and selfishness, cruelty, mask of the member of this society are astounding selfish, insensible and hard-hearted. The stagecoach episode where joseph, half-killed and stripped naked by robbers is reluctantly rescued by the passengers in the stagecoach but receives no sympathy or comfort from any except the poor postilion fully brings out this callous temper. But this is not an isolated example. The novel abounds in instances of cold-blooded indifference to the miseries and misfortunes of others the surgeon indigently refuses to leave his bed to attend joseph just because he was a barefoot passenger and he has no means of paying his fee. Mrs. Tow-wouse forbids her husband to lend him as an old shirt to joseph. Parson Trulliber cannot afford even fourteen shillings to assist parson adam; on the contrary, he accuses him of being a vagabond.Peter Pounce thinks that the distresses of mask the poor people are only imaginary. Lawyer Scout believes that there are to have an act to hang or transport half of them.

Scout believes that there are too many poor and that"we opt to have an act to hang or transport half of them". It is indeed a rootlessly in human society than the novel brings into view, Apart from Adams and the Wilsons. Almost the only example of kindliness is supplied by very humble and not holly persons-the position, the chamber Maita's belly, the poor peddler. CLICK HERE Joseph Andrews as a Comic Epic In Prose or comic element.

Discuss Joseph andews as a social document?

The novel also depicts the wide gulf that seems to separate the high people from the low people. The distinction between these two groups is quite rigid. There is no friendly intermingling of the member of the two classes. Far from looking at each other as a brother in the Christian language, they scarcely regard each other of the same species. Lady Booby invariably refers to her country neighbors as "The brutes nor ", "the geodes", she grossly insult Adams or his insistence on publishing the banns of marriage and when she visits the personage, she does not condescend to acknowledge the low bows of Adams or the courtesy of his wife. Mrs. Slipslop though she is herself only awaiting women refuses to recognize Fanny.

These high-class people show utter disregard for the rights and interests of the poor people. Lady booby is not concerned whether or not servants get their wages in times. An autocratic squire, in his zeal for preserving game, kills all the dogs and confiscates all the guns in the neighborhood. when he goes hunting, he recklessly breaks down the farmers' hedges and rides over their gardens and cornfields. Another squire sends his people to abduct fanny for whom he has caught a passing fanny. A person of high class wielded great influence and could easily get the law twisted by shifting lawyers and judges to suits their purpose. Lady Booby's instructions do lawyers scout illustrate the corruption prevalent in the time. it shows the conspiracy of the rich classes and the professional against the poorer and weaker section of society. CLICK HERE Joseph Andrews as a picaresque novel

Joseph Andrews does not offer a very comprehensive view of city life. But whatever little we learn of its is enough to make us feel disguised. Scandal mongering happens to be the most favorite past time of fashionable ladies like Booby. Shrinking and gambling, swearing and frequent playhouses are the pet activities of the beaus and gallants. Beau Didapar is a typical product of the city and his very looks are so repulsive. We have another peep at the city life in the stories of Leonora and city life .Mr.wilson and there certainly is much of vanity and hypocrisy among the county people. This novel presents society so realistically that it may be called a valuable document of society.

However, if fielding has depicted such realistic pictures of his society it is not just because he wants to register his disgust with it. We can conclude by saying that fielding satirizes bad priests so that they may become good priests. he ridicules bad lawyers. Fielding's purpose in writing joseph Andrews is purely a moral one. In fact, a certain didactic note runs through all his writing, he is as much a moralistic as Richardson pretends to be; only his moral vision is very broad.