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Joseph Andrews

3.21 of 5 stars 3.21 · rating details · 1,574 ratings · 69 reviews

Joseph Andrews refuses Lady Booby's advances, she discharges him, and Joseph and his old tutor, Parson Adams (one of the great comic figures of literature), sets off to visit his sweetheart, Fanny. Along the way, they meet with a series of adventures in which, through their own innocence and honesty, they expose the hypocrisy and affectation of others.

Paperback, 272 pages

Published August 22nd 2001 by Dover Publications (first published 1742)

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Ethan Frome and Other Short Fiction by Edith Wharton

You Can Find My Name In The Old Testament

21st out of 161 books — 33 voters

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Best all time picaresque novels

6th out of 74 books — 10 voters

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Mar 08, 2013 Tristram rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic-english-literature

Oh lucky Henry Fielding!

Henry Fielding is really one of those blessed people who can count themselves lucky since in Samuel Richardson he had found a man he could despise and abhor – or at least if he could not the man, then his works. When this spirit of enmity, abhorrence and scorn is felt by a man who can lay claim to intelligence and wit, instead of just hatred and physical power, inspiration is never far down the road.

This was also the case with Fielding and his novels “Shamela” and “Joseph...more Oh lucky Henry Fielding!

Henry Fielding is really one of those blessed people who can count themselves lucky since in Samuel Richardson he had found a man he could despise and abhor – or at least if he could not the man, then his works. When this spirit of enmity, abhorrence and scorn is felt by a man who can lay claim to intelligence and wit, instead of just hatred and physical power, inspiration is never far down the road.

This was also the case with Fielding and his novels “Shamela” and “Joseph Andrews”, both of them meant as playful criticism of the epistolary novel “Pamela”, which Fielding regarded not only as an awkward literary fashion but also as an instance of moral hypocrisy. I am not so sure whether Fielding, by writing “Joseph Andrews” can really be regarded as the creator of the intrusive narrator – as is stated in some reviews –, because I would venture to say that we can also meet this writing technique in Cervantes’s “Don Quixote”, whom Fielding explicitly names as a source of inspiration, but in the end, there is not a whole lot of things I am sure about.

Fielding tells the story of decent and coy young Joseph in the noblest and most honest of human intentions, the intention to mock and to deride. Resisting the determined attempts from both the widow of his former master, and her lady-servant at seducing him, Joseph Andrew is dismissed and thrown into the world. He decides to find back his true love, Fanny Goodwill, and to marry her. On his way, he meets the excellent parson Abraham Adams, who wants to sell some of his sermons, and both men now travel together. Before finding Fanny and rescuing her from the hands of some brutal highwaymen, Andrews and the cleric have to undergo a picaresque chain of adventures, and even afterwards, their tribulations do not come to an end, one of my personal favourite episodes being the heated meeting between the parsons Adams and Trulliber.

Their story is never to be taken completely seriously, yet at times there are more serious tones, and we can also read some tales of romance and unrequited love, but mostly the novel thrives on the hilarious incongruity of the trivial matters that are reported and the elaborate, epic style of the narration.

What you must give this 18th century masterpiece is a lot of time and contemplation, which is one of its special charms, as it dates from a time when people still were versed in the art of reading at leisure.
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Mar 08, 2013 Kristen Lemaster rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fielding is so, so funny in a way that you would never be able to tell just from reading Shamela. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, but his cleverness and astonishingly developed characters make it too difficult not to like the story. Cervantes' Don Quixote had huge influences on this novel, which results in Joseph Andrews being hilarious and likeable and a mess all at once, and the elements of classical poetry are also super important to juxtaposing high and low literature an...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Valerie added it · review of another edition

Several editions of this book seem to be linked to plot summaries of entirely different novels. Thus the original edition that comes up when one searches this title has a summary of Mansfield Park. And another has a summary for Tom Jones.

Anyway, my comments are about Joseph Andrews. I'm not sure that this edition is the one I read, as it's been some years, and edition does matter. But I'd rather people got my comments on a book I've actually read, if I had my druthers.

I have to admit that I prob...more Several editions of this book seem to be linked to plot summaries of entirely different novels. Thus the original edition that comes up when one searches this title has a summary of Mansfield Park. And another has a summary for Tom Jones.

Anyway, my comments are about Joseph Andrews. I'm not sure that this edition is the one I read, as it's been some years, and edition does matter. But I'd rather people got my comments on a book I've actually read, if I had my druthers.

I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have picked this book up in the first place if it hadn't been a class assignment. About all I knew about Henry Fielding came from Charlotte Bronte's dismissal of him as a satirist. But then, Bronte didn't generally care much for satire in general. She made an exception for Thackeray, but she generally disapproved of satire, from what I gather.

When the book was assigned in class, I had a lukewarm response. But I read it with more attention and interest when I was told that it was one of the first of a long tradition of picaresque novels (sort of like antique 'road pictures').

There were parts I found interesting. The introduction of a virtuous BOY drew amusement and attention. I had (and have) never read Pamela. But at the time I read the book, I was having my attention drawn to the serious double standard of the times. It's not just in matters of sex, either. Both Charlotte and Anne Bronte complained of education that assumed that girls must be shielded from every possible temptation, but boys must face those temptations unprepared. Anne particularly commented on the habit of intemperant drinking that pervaded male society in her neighborhood, reaching even into the parsonage. Fielding points out this double standard by satirically introducing a counterfoil.

I also liked a lot of the journeying in this book. I like detailed descriptions of societies, particularly from a contemporary perspective discussing facilities and customs long gone.

I say I liked it, but I don't REMEMBER much of it. Most of the impression I carried away from the book was the impression that, if Fielding had sent his manuscript to publishers in later ages, probably they would have thought it nothing special.

But then, one oughtn't expect finished masterpieces from apprentices in a new field. They might exist. Probably some do. But it's not predictable.

Anyway, it's a pleasant read, and if I run across a copy somewhere, I might just pick it up, and read it again. (less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Henry Fielding devoted a fair amount of literary energy to satirizing his contemporaries, in particular Samuel Richardson, whose Pamela is considered one of the earliest instances of the English novel. After the more overtly satirical Shamela, Fielding invented the character Joseph Andrews, brother to Pamela, in what might be called the first work of fan fiction.
In her own history, Pamela is continually pursued for her attractiveness and preserves her virtue with great effort; Fielding puts her...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Jim Leckband rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On Fielding's Joseph Andrews and the Real Genesis of Role Playing Games Such as Dungeons & Dragons

Many commentators and critics hail the present book under review as one of the first "novels" to be written in the English language - along with its progenitor Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded by Richardson along with Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady. The similarity between Fielding's and Richardson's works are only superficial - they share characters ("Joseph Andrews" and "Pamela") and situa...more On Fielding's Joseph Andrews and the Real Genesis of Role Playing Games Such as Dungeons & Dragons

Many commentators and critics hail the present book under review as one of the first "novels" to be written in the English language - along with its progenitor Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded by Richardson along with Clarissa, or the History of a Young Lady. The similarity between Fielding's and Richardson's works are only superficial - they share characters ("Joseph Andrews" and "Pamela") and situations - but their styles are radically different.

Richardson's two novels are examples of the epistolary novel - a novel in letters. Fielding's Joseph Andrews is the opposite - it is a novel in numbers. Or more precisely, a novel written with the aid of the numbers found on a twenty-sided dice. Hitherto my present discovery the happenstances that the Andrews/Adams party met on their adventures were understood as not very well crafted (imho) conflicts intended to illuminate the hypocrisies of the stock characters of 18th Century England. Under this model, Fielding himself created the various dramatic, tragedic, and comedic set pieces to skewer his parodied targets.

I endeavour to turn this thinking around. It is apparent to this 21st Century reader that Fielding's true achievement was in being history's first Dungeon Master. Imagine a London coffeehouse, circa 1740, smoky (or "smoaky") and bustling. Off to the side, back against the wall, is a smug character, entrenched behind a leather bulwark. Periodic clinking and rolling sounds cut through the boisterousness of the coffeehouse.

Circled around the Master are a coterie of Geeks, as Fielding I'm sure called them. Each one of these Geeks possess a Character - one is Joseph Andrews (Good and Chaotic, +5 on Chastity), another Fanny Goodwill (+20 Charisma), a bumpkin is taking on Parson Abraham Adams (+10 Greek, -20 Commonsense), an unfortunate one is the troll Mrs. Slipsop (-20 Intelligence, -50 Language), but the real prize is who gets to be the Sex-Obsessed Lady Booby (Evil and Chaotic, -100 Consistency, +50 Snobbery). Sprinkled throughout the DM's map are NPC's such as Highwaymen, Parsons, Gentlemen, Servants, Innkeepers (inaugurating a treasured tradition in Dungeon Mastery) and Justices.

Fielding as DM guides these characters through encounters with various "monsters" and "dungeons". Some monsters seem like angels at the time, e.g. a Parson (-50 Charity) who knows the Bible but not how it applies. A Squire (+75 Viciousness) who embodies every evil the DM can think of (Rape, Assault/Murder, Theft, Kidnapping, Overacting). Dungeons are prison cells, castles, or dark roads where Highwaymen have 10 out of a d20 roll of doing grievous harm to the party.

The resulting document of the Role Playing sessions that Fielding led has been edited so that the various die rolls are left out - but their traces remain. What are the chances Joseph will live? No doubt there was a crucial roll for that one. Will Adams defeat the Squire's henchmen with his cudgel? What are the chances that the rambling Pedlar who reveals all will happen to meet the wandering crew? Sometimes Fielding left in the DM instructions when for example it is written "A light is seen across the field" and the next adventure takes place in the inn.

One would like to believe that the "novel" came out of Fielding's own experiences and wit. But the nature of the episodic chapters (equivalent to a single day of role playing), preposterously consistent characters and random adventures and coincidences all point to a more mundane explanation. While others applaud Fielding as one of the first novelists - I choose to laud him as the first Dungeon Master!(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Lawrence rated it 5 of 5 stars

Why on earth have I not read Henry Fielding before now??!! This book is delightful. The characters are charming. The good are so wonderfully good and sometimes surprising, as when the Parson Adams turns out to be quite ready with hands and stick or when Joseph becomes impatient with him, and they argue. The wicked are deliciously spiteful and poison-tongued; yet, their behavior is, in fact, understandable, given their premises. The twists of narration, along with the excellent authorial asides a...more

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Jan 16, 2008 Becky added it

I'm not quite done yet, but I've been surprisingly taken with this book. I had no preconception that it was going to be as wittily funny as it is.

book 1 of 12 for British Novels

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Jan 25, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Joseph Andrews" is Henry Fielding's brilliant homage to "Don Quixote," although, ultimately, it is a narrower work than Cervantes' sprawling, ambiguous masterpiece. One obvious reason for this may be the fact that Fielding's novel is a reactionary response to the work of his contemporaries, dealing frankly with not only the vices of the society in which he was living, but with the sycophancy which he perceived in his fellow writers, who portrayed such vices as virtues with the simple aim of gro...more "Joseph Andrews" is Henry Fielding's brilliant homage to "Don Quixote," although, ultimately, it is a narrower work than Cervantes' sprawling, ambiguous masterpiece. One obvious reason for this may be the fact that Fielding's novel is a reactionary response to the work of his contemporaries, dealing frankly with not only the vices of the society in which he was living, but with the sycophancy which he perceived in his fellow writers, who portrayed such vices as virtues with the simple aim of growing their audience by flattering the offenders. Fielding was, thus, an antidote to the sniveling apologists of his era. In this capacity, he was merciless.

The title is misleading, since Joseph Andrews himself serves as a sort of MacGuffin, exposing the main focus of the book, the character, philosophy, and adventures of his friend and mentor, the parson Abraham Adams. It is Adams who determines the direction of the action, reining Andrews in or spurring him on as propriety dictates. Adams' propriety draws a parallel with the character of Don Quixote: he is so devoid of guile as to provide inadvertent comic relief throughout the novel. It is significant that Adams is portrayed as fallible, since this allows Fielding a wide playing field in his social commentary. By allowing us to see Adams' human weaknesses, Fielding avoids sanctimony in his criticism.

Indeed, most of Fielding's criticisms of his fellow man are self-evident. The worst villains in the novel are always clearly delineated. However, in the case of several characters, the reader is left with ambiguity: Is Lady Booby a villain or a buffoon? Or both? And does it matter? After following her machinations, both internal and external, minutely throughout the novel, her denouement is perfunctory. We, as readers, grudgingly tolerate her fate.

Fielding's point in all of this is to expose his fellow writers as charlatans. He accomplishes this by refusing to sugar-coat the reality of the society in which he lived, but he does it with such great skill that this reader found himself laughing out loud from cover to cover. His plot devices, it is true, sometimes seem contrived in order to hammer home his moral lessons, most of which relate to Christian charity and faith. But the detailed, colorful character development and expert pacing more than make up for that which is likely more a flaw to the jaded, modern reader than to most of Fielding's contemporaries.

This should appeal to any fan of the classics, and especially to those enamored of Cervantes' great masterpiece.(less)

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Oct 07, 2011 Lex Write rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was Ok. I know I would not have read it if it wasn't for a class, but I did like it a lot better than "Tom Jones" by Fielding probably because it was shorter. I did like the writing style, though, because it was really easy to get through. Very straight forward. However, it was a very slow moving novel with it only really starting to pick up in the last 3 or 4 chapters. I honestly think it should be read because of it's literary value (it's a classic) but it is not one of those books that you...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Omiana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books-you-must-read, классика, о-любви

Книга интересна тем, что, несмотря на то, что написана она была еще в 18 веке, во многом она созвучна современной литературе. Спокойное отношение к сексу, может быть, даже его преувеличенное значение, когда первопричиной чуть ли не всех поступков героев является влечение или его отсутствие, при этом роман не скатывается в пошлость и натуралистичные описания актов любви. Ведь главные герои здесь: юноша, хранящий целомудрие ради любимой девушки и героически выдерживающий любовный натиск окружающих...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Ardacan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think Henry Fielding is an idiot who has an awful conception of certainity in abstract subjects. The novel is quite good actually, specially as a satire of THE GOD AWFUL PAMELA. It has a quite articulate message for the debates on literature of its time and I think Mr. Fielding is quite of an honest man. But I think the book itself contradicts many of Mr. Fielding's arguments on literature which is the reason why I can't take this one too seriously.

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Jun 08, 2012 Lily rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lady bobby tries to seduce Joseph but Joesph is so keen to avoid such temptations and trying to keep his chastity like his sister Pamela becoz his sister is an example he wants to follow,at the end he will get married to fanny after lady bobby kicks him out becoz she failed to make him give it up to her O_o
well ,it's quite boring novel and it's all about how men could be as much chaste as women.
i gave it just 2 stars becoz it's boring ,the conversations are not interesting plus i didn't like th...more

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Oct 27, 2012 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not know what to think going into this read, as I read it for a college course. I was throughly entertained by Fielding's writing. The way he wrote this work, with his asides and interruptions, was fun to read. His various comments on writing were amusing and insightful. I fully intend to read more of his work in the future. Maybe I'll even find out what Paul said.

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Oct 22, 2012 James rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I've made a sort of resolution lately not to leave books unfinished in the way I've tended to do in times past, I couldn't do it with this one. Young Joseph's adventures didn't exactly grab me from the outset, and the longer it went on (I made it to around half way through) the less it did for me. I still want to check out Tom Jones one day, and I may return to this at some point, but at the moment I'm not in the mood for it.

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Jan 19, 2013 Kristin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read 3/4 of this, and have finally decided to give up on it. As his "first" novel, it is glaring obvious that he became more refined when he wrote Tom Jones. There is so much irrelevant discourse and storytelling in this book, that I can't stand it. I don't like or care about any of the characters. When I think of reading this book, I feel dread. Conversely, when I think of reading Tom Jones, I get excited and happy.

This is a terrible read. I was so disappointed. I should have given up long ag...more

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May 05, 2011 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a bit of a difficult read to get into, and the random italicizing and capitalization took some getting used to, but after getting past these factors, it was really a very entertaining read. Helps to have a frame of reference regarding the time period in which it was written as well as the texts it is often satirizing.

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Mar 03, 2013 Melodee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19th-century, british

This story about the brother of the girl in the "Pamela" book by Fielding's rival, Samuel Richardson, is a good tale. The characters are laughable, the situations humorous, the twists and turns of plot entertaining and suspenseful. The story-within-a-story feature is quite typical of the time period, and always gives the author an opportunity of branching out his skills.

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Nov 09, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: could-not-finish

I couldn't even finish this one. I gave up about one-third through it. I can't quite put my finger on why but I could not get the point as to where it was going and I found it plodding and uninteresting. My apologies because this is a clasic for most readers but I just couldn'g get into it.

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Sep 03, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-school

Read for college 18th century British Literature class. One of the few books in that class I actually finished that semester. Amusing but definitely antearly novel (that is, very episodic and the pieces of the plot don't always seem to fit together). Still, the parody works almost 200 years later.

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Jan 19, 2012 K.M. Weiland rated it 3 of 5 stars

A smart, good-hearted story that is a delight to read even centuries later. Fielding knew what he was doing, which I find slightly astonishing in that he was essentially inventing the novel form as he went. Characters are well drawn and engaging, dialogue is snappy and realistic, and the pacing is a tour de force despite the necessarily episodic nature of the plot. Three and a half stars.

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Oct 20, 2011 Rev rated it 4 of 5 stars

Satirical, funny, witty. Definitely one of the better 18th century novels. Fielding argues that the Ridiculous (what we laugh at) is the cause of Affection, being Vanity and Hypocrisy. Keeping this in mind, it makes for an interesting analysis of the characters and emphasizes the ridicule of the upper class that Fielding was striving for by writing this novel.

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Jul 08, 2012 Clare rated it 3 of 5 stars

Joseph Andrews improves upon Pamela by taking up charity instead of chastity as a virtue, leading us on an episodic journey through affectation and vanity. Not exactly a breezy read, but accessible and actually funny. Nicely done!

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Feb 23, 2012 Lilly Negoi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Fielding's tone and the way he chooses to teach his readers (at that time and not only) about the human weaknesses. It's a wise book, a funny one in the same time, the kind that I couldn't put beside until I finished it.

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Oct 02, 2012 Sonja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

I read this as part of a course in the University, and I really liked it. It was funny and made a mockery of all the traditional novels of its time. Henry Fielding is present in the book as an ironic narrator, and he does it as well as Jane Austen would have.

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Apr 30, 2010 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you enjoy books written in the 1700s that are about nothing much in particular, and are authored by someone who uses terms such as "preponderate" and "encomiums" just as freely as he does "slut" and "trollop," then this book is for you! Being a little odd in my reading tastes (and with my English-lit background), I actually liked it. But obviously it won't appeal to everyone.

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Apr 30, 2013 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was humorous for the most part, but at times the digressions got a little tedious. I probably would have had a different opinion if I had read Pamela, that this book is obviously lampooning.

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Aug 08, 2012 Shannon marked it as to-read

Shelves: classic

WHY: I feel quite sure I read this in college or it wouldn't be on my bookshelf, but I can't remember it at all. Like so many books on my shelves. But it sounds great, so I'm putting in to-read.

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Dec 24, 2010 J. Alfred rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid old English novel. I'm pretty sure Fielding was Dickens' granddad. It is a great predecessor to all the comic novels: at one point, the narrator says that he will get back to the main plot "after some excellent writing." Douglas Adams would feel right at home in Fielding's world.

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Feb 12, 2011 Nicole K rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can see where Austen was inspired, with respect to characters. I can see some resemblance between Mr. Collins and Mr. Abrams, although Mr. Abrams is of a kinder disposition.

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Sep 21, 2010 Etta Mcquade rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book written in the 1700s. It was an assignment for a college English class, and I probably would never have read it otherwise.

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About Henry Fielding

Henry Fielding was born in Somerset in 1707. The son of a army lieutenant and a judge's daughter, he was educated at Eton School and the University of Leiden before returning to England where he wrote a series of farces, operas and light comedies.

Fielding formed his own company and was running the Little Theatre, Haymarket, when one of his satirical plays began to upset the government. The passing...more

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