The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews And of His Friend Mr.

Abraham Adams by Henry Fielding

Lone Star College !ingwood Library Assignment "uide

Henry Fielding was born on April 22, 1707, at the family estate, Sharpham Park, in Somerset, England His mother died when he was ele!en years old, and, on his father"s remarriage, he was sent to s#hool at Eton He left Eton at se!enteen and spent the ne$t fo%r years as a gentleman of leis%re After st%dying for 1& months at the 'ni!ersity of (eiden in Holland, he began to s%pport himself as a playwright in (ondon He wrote 2) plays before his satire, Historical Register for the Year 1736, ridi#%ling Prime *inister +obert ,alpole, led to the passage of the (i#ensing A#t -his a#t, re.%iring go!ernmental appro!al of all new plays, led to the end of his #areer as a playwright Fielding so%ght to s%pport his wife and two #hildren by st%dying law, and he be#ame a lawyer in 17/0 He s%pplemented his in#ome by writing for 0o%rnals -hen, in 17/1, he wrote a s#athing satire of Sam%el +i#hardson"s pop%lar no!el, Pamela or Virtue Rewarded, %nder the pse%donym 1onny 2eyber Soon after, he began work on Joseph Andrews, and this #omi# no!el, often #alled the first realisti# no!el in English literat%re, was p%blished in 17/2 His belo!ed wife, 1harlotte 1rado#k, who was the model for #hara#ters in his other no!els, died in 17// His s%pport of the go!ernment d%ring the 3a#obite +ebellion of 17/) gained him appointment as 3%sti#e of the Pea#e for two se#tions of #entral (ondon in 17/7 -here he gained a rep%tation as an honest and fair magistrate He and his half4brother, 3ohn, established the 5ow Street +%nners, a forer%nner of the modern poli#e for#e, to help #%rb the rampant #rime in 1&th #ent%ry (ondon 6n 17/7, his se#ond no!el, he Histor! of om Jones, was p%blished, and, two years later, his last no!el, Amelia, appeared in print -he go%t that had left him a !irt%al #ripple led him to seek relief in the warmer #limate of Port%gal in 3%ne, 17)/ He died there on 8#tober &, 17)/

Main Chara#ters
Joseph Andrews 4 a footman in the ho%sehold of (ady 5ooby $amela Andrews 4 3oseph"s sister9 wife of S.%ire 5ooby9 the heroine of Sam%el +i#hardson"s no!el, Pamela $arson Adams 4 the parson of (ady 5ooby"s parish who befriends 3oseph and a##ompanies him on his tra!els Lady %ooby 4 a%nt of S.%ire 5ooby Mrs. Slipslop 4 maid to (ady 5ooby Fanny 4 3oseph"s sweetheart Mr. and Mrs. &ilson 4 a kindly #o%ple who offer shelter to 3oseph and Parson Adams on their 0o%rney

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3oseph, the !irt%o%s and tr%e footman, is for#ed to lea!e the ser!i#e of his mistress, (ady 5ooby, when he is no longer able to ward off her amoro%s ad!an#es He starts o%t to re%nite with his sweetheart, Fanny *isfort%nes on his 0o%rney #ontin%ally waylay him and his kindly tra!eling #ompanion, Parson Adams -hey en#o%nter both kindness and !illainy, generosity, and selfishness on their 0o%rney 3oseph and the Parson maintain their inno#en#e and #%lpability thro%gho%t their trials and trib%lations All ends well when Fanny and 3oseph are re%nited, and the se#ret of their parentage is re!ealed

Setting and Histori#al %a#'ground

-he no!el takes pla#e in the early eighteenth #ent%ry, and it mirrors the lifestyle, #aste system, hypo#risy, and #orr%ption of the times England was be#oming a #ommer#ial power, and wealth was shifting from the landowners to the mer#hants -he defeat of the 3a#obites :the 1atholi#s who wished to restore the St%art dynasty to the throne of England; at 1%lloden *oor in 17/) bro%ght to a #lose any serio%s threat to the Hano!erian line of 5ritish royalty -he r%ral pop%la#e was being drawn to the #ities with the l%re of higher wages, b%t the li!ing #onditions of the poor were still deplorable -he so#ial #aste system was rigid, b%t beginning to gi!e %nder the press%re of the new, moneyed middle #lass