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Joseph Andrews (Dover Thrift Editions)
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Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Henry Fielding
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $3.00
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Henry Fielding
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
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Joseph Andrews (Dover Thrift Editions) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.5
EAN: 9780486415888
ISBN: 0486415880
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2001-08-22
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.5
EAN: 9780486415888
ISBN: 0486415880
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 288
Publication Date: 2001-08-22
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Editorial Review of Joseph Andrews (Dover Thrift Editions)
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.
Customer Reviews of Joseph Andrews (Dover Thrift Editions)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A fun read and enoyable book
Review: Henry Fielding wrote one of the great comic novels in Tom Jones. Joseph Andrews is similar in nature but falls far short of Fielding's, masterpiece. The book starts out well enough. A handsome, viral young man of low birth (Andrews) is placed in the family of Lord and Lady Booby. The mistress takes a fancy to Andrews and makes him her footman. Lord Booby dies and the lady tries to force her affections on poor Joseph. Being virtuous, as well as attractive to the opposite sex, he refuses her advances and is promptly dismissed. Joseph then sets out to London to meet his true love, Fanny, and along the way joins up with his mentor, Parson Adams, a kind of Don Quixote character complete with a stumbling horse. Before too long Fanny joins the retinue. A good start.
But Fielding gets into trouble because he can't seem to make up his mind as to who his protagonist is. As Joseph begins his journey he is set upon by a group of robbers, beaten, and left naked in a ditch. A coach comes by and the passengers debate whether or not to save him. At last, persuaded that if they did not try they might be liable to be sued for his death they agree to take him up. But a "lady" riding inside the coach refuses to allow a naked man to be placed beside her. There then ensues a debate over who will give their coat to cover Joseph. This depiction is both humorous and a telling commentary of British values in the first half of the eighteenth century. But Andrews it seems is too staid and pure to be the target of the kind low slapstick comedy that Fielding has in mind, thus much of the remainder of the book focuses on the adventures and foibles of the good parson. Joseph is reduced to the role of defender of Fanny and the parson from various assaults on their person and character.
Fielding also goes off on tangents such as the story of Leonora, Mr. Wilson's life history and the tale told by the parson's son toward the end of the book. Fielding's intent is to display some aspects of the social mores of the times, but these asides distract from the flow of the story. At the end of the book Mr. Wilson's history does, in fact, come to play an important part in the story, but the others are mere sidebars to the action. One interesting diversion does occur when Fielding, as an author talking directly to the reader, interjects into the story to provide a rationale for why books are divided into chapters.
Finally, after a series of humorous and often outrageous adventures Joseph, Fanny and Parson Adams return home and face a new series of problems when Lady Booby re-enters the picture and continues her pursuit of Joseph. At his point other characters including Joseph's sister, Pamela and her husband, Mr. Booby (Lady Booby's nephew), a pedlar, an obsequious character, Beau Didapper who lusts after Fanny, the elder Mr. and Mrs. Andrews and finally Mr. and Mrs. Wilson add to the complications. This section of the book is filled with rollicking humor (including a wonderful scene where Parson Adams mistakes Mrs. Slipslop for a man and battles with her in bed and then wanders into Fanny's bed where he is discovered by Joseph), mystery, and problematic situations (including the possibility that Joseph and Fanny are really brother and sister!), until after a tortuous series of events all ends well with even Lady Booby finding love, or at least lust.
I give the book four stars because it really is not on a par with the great comic novels. But it is a fun and enjoyable read. Joseph Andrews is a humorous book and Fielding provides a look at the foibles and character of various English types in his era. The book is well worth reading even though it falls short of the great pieces of satire and humorous literature.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: 18th century England away from court and cathedral
Review: This is a fine work both to allow the reader insight into England in the 18th century away from court and cathedral, and to provide a peek into the early invention of the English novel.
Fielding's characters paint a vivid picture of how well, or how poorly, people reside within their assigned class levels. Parson Adams, though often playing the naive fool, establishes an expectation of noble Christian behaviour against which Fielding's 'Canterbury Tale'-like characters can be measured. At the same time, Fielding uses Adams to allow the title character to evolve from the pure innocent, who falls into difficulty, to become resurrected as the fully realized, real-life hero.
As a story of life among the lower and middle classes, this is a fine read. But I found the brilliant, excellent construction of this novel to be a real eye-opener as far as the development of the early novel is concerned.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Andrews, Parson, and Fanny
Review: This book was assigned to me in my British Literature class for a book club. Shortly after being assigned this book, I quickly went out and began reading it. While Fielding's writing style does seem to run on a bit, his narrative wit and dialogue is enjoyable.
I found myself liking the three main characters, Parson Adams in particular. He told some interesting stories, and has kind of an older brother relationship with Joesph, making him a good side character. The brief moments of action were pretty good in the story, as were the humorous bits. Its easy to see why this novel will go down as one a classic in literature.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Shamela: Parodies-Unlike Their Originals-Are Read Only Once
Review: Henry Fielding wrote SHAMELA for the best of all reasons: he needed the money. The fact that Richardson's earlier PAMELA had been begging for burlesque in its absurdities and pretensions can be seen only as a contributory reason. In his preface, Fielding makes it clear that he has placed Richardson's heroine squarely in his sights. He attempts to expose "the many notorious Falsehoods and Misrepresentations of a Book called Pamela, Are exposed and refuted; and all of the matchless Arts of that young Politician, set in a true and just Light." He makes it pretty clear that in the controversy as to whether Pamela's motivation for marrying the cad who tried mightily to seduce her are innocent or mercenary Fielding sees as the latter.
Like PAMELA, SHAMELA is a novel (much briefer than PAMELA) written as letters. But in Fielding's hands, Shamela is seen as the master manipulator. Where Pamela faints whenever her Mr. B. grabs her, Shamela swoons too-but in coarse delight. With each passing episode, Fielding inverts the moral universe of Richardson so that when one considers Richardson's subtitle of PAMELA as "Virtue rewarded," one now sees with crystal clarity that virtue does indeed earn a reward, but the virtue of Pamela and the virtue of Shamela are alike only in their spelling. I am glad that I read PAMELA first, for if I had come across SHAMELA first, I am pretty sure that I would have hooted and guffawed at a young innocent whose only crime was to follow on stage a deadly mimic.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Joseph Andrews
Review: I enjoyed Fielding's sense of humor, his appreciation of human foibles. Joseph Andrews is a good story and becomes more entertaining as it moves along. Parson Adams is my favorite character.
Review Summary: A fun read and enoyable book
Review: Henry Fielding wrote one of the great comic novels in Tom Jones. Joseph Andrews is similar in nature but falls far short of Fielding's, masterpiece. The book starts out well enough. A handsome, viral young man of low birth (Andrews) is placed in the family of Lord and Lady Booby. The mistress takes a fancy to Andrews and makes him her footman. Lord Booby dies and the lady tries to force her affections on poor Joseph. Being virtuous, as well as attractive to the opposite sex, he refuses her advances and is promptly dismissed. Joseph then sets out to London to meet his true love, Fanny, and along the way joins up with his mentor, Parson Adams, a kind of Don Quixote character complete with a stumbling horse. Before too long Fanny joins the retinue. A good start.
But Fielding gets into trouble because he can't seem to make up his mind as to who his protagonist is. As Joseph begins his journey he is set upon by a group of robbers, beaten, and left naked in a ditch. A coach comes by and the passengers debate whether or not to save him. At last, persuaded that if they did not try they might be liable to be sued for his death they agree to take him up. But a "lady" riding inside the coach refuses to allow a naked man to be placed beside her. There then ensues a debate over who will give their coat to cover Joseph. This depiction is both humorous and a telling commentary of British values in the first half of the eighteenth century. But Andrews it seems is too staid and pure to be the target of the kind low slapstick comedy that Fielding has in mind, thus much of the remainder of the book focuses on the adventures and foibles of the good parson. Joseph is reduced to the role of defender of Fanny and the parson from various assaults on their person and character.
Fielding also goes off on tangents such as the story of Leonora, Mr. Wilson's life history and the tale told by the parson's son toward the end of the book. Fielding's intent is to display some aspects of the social mores of the times, but these asides distract from the flow of the story. At the end of the book Mr. Wilson's history does, in fact, come to play an important part in the story, but the others are mere sidebars to the action. One interesting diversion does occur when Fielding, as an author talking directly to the reader, interjects into the story to provide a rationale for why books are divided into chapters.
Finally, after a series of humorous and often outrageous adventures Joseph, Fanny and Parson Adams return home and face a new series of problems when Lady Booby re-enters the picture and continues her pursuit of Joseph. At his point other characters including Joseph's sister, Pamela and her husband, Mr. Booby (Lady Booby's nephew), a pedlar, an obsequious character, Beau Didapper who lusts after Fanny, the elder Mr. and Mrs. Andrews and finally Mr. and Mrs. Wilson add to the complications. This section of the book is filled with rollicking humor (including a wonderful scene where Parson Adams mistakes Mrs. Slipslop for a man and battles with her in bed and then wanders into Fanny's bed where he is discovered by Joseph), mystery, and problematic situations (including the possibility that Joseph and Fanny are really brother and sister!), until after a tortuous series of events all ends well with even Lady Booby finding love, or at least lust.
I give the book four stars because it really is not on a par with the great comic novels. But it is a fun and enjoyable read. Joseph Andrews is a humorous book and Fielding provides a look at the foibles and character of various English types in his era. The book is well worth reading even though it falls short of the great pieces of satire and humorous literature.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: 18th century England away from court and cathedral
Review: This is a fine work both to allow the reader insight into England in the 18th century away from court and cathedral, and to provide a peek into the early invention of the English novel.
Fielding's characters paint a vivid picture of how well, or how poorly, people reside within their assigned class levels. Parson Adams, though often playing the naive fool, establishes an expectation of noble Christian behaviour against which Fielding's 'Canterbury Tale'-like characters can be measured. At the same time, Fielding uses Adams to allow the title character to evolve from the pure innocent, who falls into difficulty, to become resurrected as the fully realized, real-life hero.
As a story of life among the lower and middle classes, this is a fine read. But I found the brilliant, excellent construction of this novel to be a real eye-opener as far as the development of the early novel is concerned.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Andrews, Parson, and Fanny
Review: This book was assigned to me in my British Literature class for a book club. Shortly after being assigned this book, I quickly went out and began reading it. While Fielding's writing style does seem to run on a bit, his narrative wit and dialogue is enjoyable.
I found myself liking the three main characters, Parson Adams in particular. He told some interesting stories, and has kind of an older brother relationship with Joesph, making him a good side character. The brief moments of action were pretty good in the story, as were the humorous bits. Its easy to see why this novel will go down as one a classic in literature.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Shamela: Parodies-Unlike Their Originals-Are Read Only Once
Review: Henry Fielding wrote SHAMELA for the best of all reasons: he needed the money. The fact that Richardson's earlier PAMELA had been begging for burlesque in its absurdities and pretensions can be seen only as a contributory reason. In his preface, Fielding makes it clear that he has placed Richardson's heroine squarely in his sights. He attempts to expose "the many notorious Falsehoods and Misrepresentations of a Book called Pamela, Are exposed and refuted; and all of the matchless Arts of that young Politician, set in a true and just Light." He makes it pretty clear that in the controversy as to whether Pamela's motivation for marrying the cad who tried mightily to seduce her are innocent or mercenary Fielding sees as the latter.
Like PAMELA, SHAMELA is a novel (much briefer than PAMELA) written as letters. But in Fielding's hands, Shamela is seen as the master manipulator. Where Pamela faints whenever her Mr. B. grabs her, Shamela swoons too-but in coarse delight. With each passing episode, Fielding inverts the moral universe of Richardson so that when one considers Richardson's subtitle of PAMELA as "Virtue rewarded," one now sees with crystal clarity that virtue does indeed earn a reward, but the virtue of Pamela and the virtue of Shamela are alike only in their spelling. I am glad that I read PAMELA first, for if I had come across SHAMELA first, I am pretty sure that I would have hooted and guffawed at a young innocent whose only crime was to follow on stage a deadly mimic.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Joseph Andrews
Review: I enjoyed Fielding's sense of humor, his appreciation of human foibles. Joseph Andrews is a good story and becomes more entertaining as it moves along. Parson Adams is my favorite character.