Stephen Conway

1992
Narrative and Narrator:
An Analysis of Joseph Andrews

As the novel was coalescing into a distinct form of literary
expression, enry !ielding introd"ced a dynamic relationship
#etween the reader and the text #y developing the role of the
narrator and the narrator$s responsi#ility in shaping the overall
str"ct"re of the wor%& is narrative creation wo"ld #ecome a
tradition explored #y modern writers& 'y esta#lishing the narrator
as an intermediary, the narrator was free to create and comment
"pon characters, actions, and sit"ations& !ielding co"ld conceal
his ideas with metaphors and fictional examples as well as with
the narrator himself& (ho"gh some have critici)ed !ielding$s wor%
for lac%ing a definitive narrative goal, perhaps the more fr"itf"l
*"est was and is in discovering the goal of the narrator +,old#erg
-./& (hro"gh an "nderstanding of the narrator of Joseph Andrews,
it may #e possi#le to discern the goal of the narrator and, th"s
trace the early evol"tion of this tradition&
!ielding$s narrator is an all0pervasive commentator and
creator& !ielding forces the reader to engage his text as a text
inextrica#ly #o"nd to the tho"ghts and perceptions of the a"thor
+'artschi .1/& (he reader sees only what the narrator allows him
or her to see& 2n this manner the narrator serves as a lens
thro"gh which all events and characters are viewed& !or example,
the narrative str"ct"re of Joseph Andrews was conscio"sly
constr"cted as a reaction to and a ref"tation of the ethical
system espo"sed in 3ichardson$s novel 4amela& !ielding connects
his novel directly to 3ichardson$s fictional world, "sing s"ch
devices as Joseph$s letters to 4amela& e revives the memory of
these characters and events, however, only to t"rn them on their
heads, to challenge and transcend them& (he critical de#ate
contin"es today, arg"ing whether !ielding s"ccessf"lly "ndermines
or "nwittingly "nderscores 3ichardson$s views of social change and
virt"o"s #ehavior +5cCrea 6-60./& 7hile it may #e impossi#le to
determine the a"thentic intentions of !ielding, the ideological
agenda of the narrator can #e examined as it #ecomes the foc"s of
the wor%&
!ielding stresses an element of self discovery or self
reflexivity thro"gh the narrator& 8nitted into the fictional
framewor% of the novel is an open disc"ssion #etween reader and
narrator& 9s"ally placed at the #eginning of each 'oo%, the
narrator disc"sses topics incl"ding #iographies, the p"rpose of
no#ility, and the division of chapters in #oo%s +!ielding 16, :;,
16./& (he narrator "ses s"ch commentary as a <means of de0
mystification and an exercise in reflection and self awareness<
+,ossman 1;-/& (hese digressions are designed to ma%e the reader
conscio"s of the act of reading& <(he narrator gives "s not only a
story to read, #"t also a lect"re on how to read and interpret his
novel< +'artschi :;/& (he narrator posits his wor% within a rich
and wide literary tradition and will not allow the reader to
conf"se it with reality& 3eality does infl"ence and create
fiction, #"t fiction remains separate& 'eing the %een o#server
tho"gh, the narrator does connect his fictional tale to the world
of act"al experience&
<(hese are 4ict"res which m"st #e, 2 #elieve, %nown=
2 declare they are ta%en from life and not intended
to exceed it< +!ielding 169/&
(his fo"ndation ena#les him to comment "pon and criti*"e the
<real< world as an o#server of life and the h"man condition and
not an active participant&
(he narrator tries thro"gh methods #oth s"#tle and apparent
to infl"ence how the #oo% is read& 2n doing so the narrator n"dges
the reader toward certain ethical or ideological concl"sions and
esta#lishes himself as the creative center, providing direction to
the narrative as a whole&

<2 wo"ld not advise him to travel thro"gh these 4ages
too fast: for if he doth he may pro#a#ly miss the
seeing of some c"rio"s 4rod"ctions of Nat"re which
will #e o#served #y the slower more acc"rate reader<
+!ielding :1/&
4erhaps the greatest intr"sion of the narrator, one that
forces the reader to rec%on with the narrator as the fig"re in
complete control of the novel, is chapter ten of 'oo% 222& (his
chapter is entitled <A >isco"rse 'etween 4oet and 4layer= of No
?ther 9se in (his istory, #"t to >ivert the 3eader< +!ielding
2;1/& 2t occ"rs at one of the most s"spensef"l moments in the
novel& 4arson Adams and Joseph have #een #eaten and #o"nd and
!anny has #een ta%en off to #e raped #y the Captain& 2nstead of
revealing the o"tcome of this potentially tragic sit"ation in the
following chapter, the narrator essentially la"ghs at the reader
and p"rs"es a disc"ssion of modern drama in the s"pposed interest
of comic interl"de +!ielding 2;1/& (hese narrative #rea%s force
the reader to <thin% a#o"t the form and contents of episodes
rather than merely a#sor# them< +'artschi .9/&
(he attit"de of the narrator is #oth comic and serio"s& (he
reader is playf"lly fr"strated #y the narrator$s comedy, #"t
"ltimately convinced of his serio"s ethical intent& (hese two
f"nctions are constantly "nderc"tting one another +Sac%s :;01/&
<(he serio"s comment @"xtaposed to the ironic
comment #ecomes important at many places in the
novel< +Sac%s :1/&
2n the first chapter the narrator praises the worth of #iography
as a method of presenting moral examples= yet when pressed for
classical references the narrator claims ignorance and calls
ancient lang"ages <"nintelligi#le< +!ielding 16/& (he narrator
seems omniscient when entered into the fictional world, #"t
expresses "ncertainty when descri#ing Joseph$s ancestry& 2n order
to @"stify the validity of Joseph$s life witho"t %nowledge of his
ancestry, the narrator goes so far as to claim that it wo"ld not
matter if Joseph <had spr"ng "p&&& o"t of a >"nghill< +!ielding
1:/& (he slippery nat"re of the narrator helps to create an ironic
and "ni*"e form of expression: a comic frame within which serio"s
virt"es can #e disc"ssed&
(he narrator m"st #e tr"stworthy, however& 2f the reader
#egins to do"#t the narrator$s sincerity in relating characters
and events and their importance, the narrator himself can #ecome a
so"rce of comedy& 2f the narrator cannot #e ta%en serio"sly, if
the reader$s tr"st is not gained, the narrator$s a#ility to ma%e
honest ethical commentary is "ndermined significantly +Sac%s :1/&

<&&&we cannot then ta%e his Athe narrator$sB word for
anything, and in Joseph Andrews we m"st ta%e
his word for a great deal< +Sac%s :1/&
!ielding allows his narrator to wal% a fine line #etween comic
s"spicion and an a"thentic desire to ed"cate the reader&
(he #asic framewor% can #e extended f"rther within the
fictional world as the narrator "ses his a#ility to merge with and
distance himself from characters and events& 4arson Adams$
character and his a#ility to characteri)e others #ecomes a vehicle
thro"gh which the narrator can @"dge other characters
ino#tr"sively +Sac%s :90-1/&
<?"r attit"des toward these new creations AcharactersB are
a res"lt of the interaction #etween what the serio"s
commentator tells "s a#o"t their trait and what he tells "s
a#o"t their attit"de and treatment of Adams< +Sac%s -1/&
'y aligning himself with Adams, the narrator "ses the 4arson as a
moral meas"ring stic%& (he 'oo#ys are @"dged harshly, for example,
when it is revealed that they regard Adams merely as a <domestic<
+!ielding 2;/&
'efore p"rs"ing this analogy past its #rea%ing point,
however, it may #e interesting to discover why 4arson Adams was
chosen for this tas% and at what point the narrator p"lls #ac%
from this convention& (ho"gh a conscio"s imitation of Cervantes$
>on C"ixote, Adams$ malady is less tangi#le +,old#erg :./& 2t is
Adams$ simplicity and good nat"re which sets him apart from his
society& Di%e C"ixote these two traits ma%e his character
redeeming and la"gha#le sim"ltaneo"sly +,old#erg :E/& (ho"gh an
o#@ect of personal ridic"le, the ethical system of 4arson Adams is
adopted and promoted #y the narrator&
7hile it may #e erroneo"s to spec"late on !ielding$s act"al
personal ethic #ased on the novel alone, even a cas"al glance at
his essay <?n the 8nowledge of the Character of 5en< shows many
stri%ing similarities to the goodness of 4arson Adams +,old#erg
::/& 7ritten while Joseph Andrews was #eing written, !ielding
essentially defines good nat"re&
<,ood nat"re is that #enevolent and amia#le (emper
of 5ind, which disposes "s to feel the 5isfort"nes,
and en@oy the appiness of others= and conse*"ently
p"shes "s on to promote the latter and prevent the
former< +<?n the&&< 126/&
(his concept of good +or h"man/ nat"re is cr"cial to "nderstanding
!ielding$s idea of existence& ?ne$s nat"re is inescapa#ly and
"ni*"ely one$s own& 9pon it all facets of character are h"ng
+,old#erg --/& Not only does 4arson Adams exhi#it !ielding$s
definition of good nat"re, he preaches against the vanity and
pretension of his own age, li%e !ielding& !ielding goes on in his
essay to characteri)e his society as
<a vast mas*"erade, where the greatest part appear
disg"ised "nder false visions and ha#its= a very few
only showing their own faces, who #ecome, #y so doing
the astonishment and ridic"le of all the rest<
+<?n the&&&< 122/&
7ith good nat"re comes a responsi#ility to h"man%ind& 2n an
essay written 5arch 2:, 1:6;, !ielding stated that <every good0
nat"red 5an will do his "tmost to contri#"te to the appiness of
each 2ndivid"al< +AFssay on&&&B 111/& e felt virt"e was
attaina#le only thro"gh an act of will& ,ood nat"re, th"s was a
str"ggle that re*"ired diligence& 7ith this in mind !ielding
#elieved there was hope that the ills of society, incl"ding the
hypocrisy and in@"stices of his own age, co"ld #e overcome +AFssay
on&&&B 111012/& 4erhaps his writing was his contri#"tion to this
ongoing str"ggle& 2t may #e possi#le, th"s, to infer that
!ielding$s views are expressed at least partially thro"gh vario"s
characters and tempered #y the narrator&
>istance is created #etween the narrator and 4arson Adams
when Adams falls prey to the vanity which he preached against&
Another way to characteri)e Adams$ comic flaw is a lac% of self
awareness which the narrator has o#tained& 4arson Adams, <a man of
,ood Sense, good 4arts, and good Nat"re= #"t was at the same time
as entirely ignorant in the 7ays of this 7orld, as an 2nfant&&&<,
em#odies the optimism and hope expressed #y !ielding in his 1:6;
essay +!ielding 1-/& owever, Adams #elieved that his philosophy
and religion descri#ed the reality of h"man nat"re rather than an
ideal +,old#erg :-/& <8nowledge of 5an is only to #e learnt from
'oo%s, 4lato and Seneca&&&< +!ielding 11-/& is simplicity, his
naivete, renders him the so"rce of ridic"le& Adams$ comedy <shifts
from misestimate of individ"als to his mista%en #eliefs and
misapplied doctrines< +,old#erg 9;/& Adams$ a#sol"te adherence to
the doctrine of moderation and resignation to adversity ma%es him
la"gha#le when the reader sees his excessive emotional response to
his son$s near drowning +!ielding 261/& 'y esta#lishing a distance
#etween himself and Adams, the narrator is a#le to ridic"le Adams$
vanity witho"t sacrificing or destroying the reader$s %nowledge of
good nat"re&
<As long as Adams is foolish only in the way the
narrator has led "s to expect, he retains o"r complete
faith in his competence to act wisely<+Sac%s :9/&

(he narrator encloses his treatment of 4arson Adams with the
str"ct"red tale of his p"pil Joseph& As Adams #ecomes an o#@ect of
ridic"le, Joseph #egins to display a #asic "nderstanding of good
nat"re& (his transition is hinted at in the comedic treatment of
the #"rles*"e scenes early in the novel& (ho"gh Joseph$s st"##orn
a#stinence is seen as ridic"lo"s, the moral stat"re of Dady 'oo#y
and Slipslop is lessened& <Joseph may appear ridic"lo"s, #"t we
are glad that the arrogant Dady 'oo#y cannot have her wish< +Sac%s
-./& 'oth women feel an affinity for or have a connection with
Dondon& Dondon, however, is removed #oth geographically and
morally from the world of Joseph Andrews& e re@ects #oth Dondon
and the women +Sac%s --/&
Joseph contin"es to gain in stat"re thro"gho"t his @o"rney
across the co"ntryside with 4arson Adams and !anny& No longer
Joey, the innocent paradigm of male chastity and s"#missive
servant to the wishes of Adams, Joseph is a#le to sense deception
where Adams is not +(aylor 62;/& As Joseph reali)es that Adams$
@"dgment is sometimes fa"lty, he #egins to challenge Adams$ ideas
and opinions more openly& (he arg"ment over the s"pposed evils of
p"#lic schools in 222, . mar%s a t"rning point in the narrator$s
treatment of Joseph and the s"#se*"ent shift in the reader$s
attit"de toward #oth characters& As well as distancing Adams from
the narrator,
<it is clear that he Athe narratorB intends Joseph$s
arg"ments with Adams to have serio"s significance
in the tho"ght of the novel, and that Joseph$s
intellect"al stat"re is growing< +(aylor 622/&
Joseph #egins also to dominate the practical aspects of their
@o"rney& (he narrator allows Joseph to challenge and even s"pplant
Adams on some occasions as leader +(aylor 622/& <Joseph grows from
Adams$ p"pil to his g"ide< +5cCrea 691/&
(hro"gho"t the novel the ethical temptation and ed"cation of
Joseph is paralleled in smaller narrative frames& 7ilson$s tale is
a microcosm of Joseph$s moral temptation& (he narrator extends his
ethical arg"ment from a partic"lar character to a more "niversal
level in this manner +Sac%s 21601./&
<(he contrast #etween eval"ation in the two frames
helps esta#lish the val"es of the novel and prevents
"s from simply reversing 3ichardson$s ridic"led
standards< +Sac%s 91/&
(he reader$s %nowledge of the excesses and vices of society are
reinforced and expanded #y 7ilson$s tale& (he serio"s tone of his
advent"res #olsters his moral stat"re& 7ilson overcomes many
o#stacles and temptations in his literal and metaphoric @o"rney
away from Dondon +Sac%s 21./& 'eca"se of this parallel with the
larger str"ct"re of the novel, the narrator allows the reader to
sim"ltaneo"sly appla"d Joseph$s ref"sal of Dady 'oo#y$s advances
and la"gh at his excessive a#stinence&
<?ver ind"lgence in virginity is ridic"lo"s, #"t in
the scheme of val"es in Joseph Andrews promisc"ity
never #ecomes virt"o"s< +Sac%s -1/&
7ith this f"ndamental connection in place #etween the larger and
smaller narrative frames, it is not s"rprising when the narrator
"nites Joseph and 5r& 7ilson tangi#ly as loving father and son in
the comic resol"tion of the novel&
7hile the comedy of Joseph Andrews is episodic in nat"re and
may, therefore, lac% a definitive narrative goal, the "ltimate
ideological goal of the narrator ta%es precedence& (he novel does
not p"sh 4arson Adams toward an inner discovery that his society
is morally #an%r"pt& 2f Adams made s"ch a discovery the comic life
of the novel wo"ld end& (he narrator allows Adams to remain simple
and ridic"les his good nat"red #lindness in order to effectively
and s"#tly convey his ideological agenda +,old#erg -E/& <?"r
la"ghing at him does not once lessen o"r respect for him< +a)litt
11./& (he narrator admires the innate goodness of Adams #"t wishes
to temper it with pr"dence& 9ltimately the narrator wishes to arm
the innocent, Joseph, !anny, and the reader ali%e, with a level of
pragmatic self awareness and each narrative decision was made with
this in mind& ?nce again the narrator$s slippery nat"re #ecomes
apparent&
<2n order to reach his didactic aim the narrator
ca"ses the reader to feel insec"re, "ndermining the
very moral standards he wishes to s"pport< +'artschi E9/&
(he comic life of the novel is never forgotten, however& (he
serio"s ideas thro"gho"t the #oo% do not hinder the moc%ing, #awdy
tone or the rollic%ing picares*"e pace of the novel& !irst and
foremost the novel m"st s"cceed as a comedy in order for any of
the narrator$s goals to #e achieved& !ielding never loses sight of
this fact& Fven when dealing with heavy, tho"ght provo%ing
s"#@ects <his treatment is not so serio"s as to deaden the f"n<
+(aylor 61-/&
!ielding intended his narrative to prod"ce and promote a
partic"lar ethical commentary and response& (he narrator was his
tool& Di%e !ielding, many modern a"thors have exploited the
narrative framewor% of a fictional world for a greater p"rpose
than the categorical presentation of characters and events&
owever, some have attempted to p"sh the narrative str"ct"re past
a sing"lar didactic or diagnostic f"nction& (hey might claim that
the a"thor and the reader "ndergo similar acts of creation& (he
a"thor is rec%oning with a certain set of ideas which give rise to
characters and narrative str"ct"res& (he reader interprets these
creations which, in t"rn, stim"lates ideas, tho"gh not necessarily
the same ideas that originally inspired the a"thor& Novels written
with this in mind wo"ld, in theory, lend themselves to f"rther
readings witho"t the ris% of reaching a definitive ideological
concl"sion&
2t may not #e a fair assessment of to claim that modern
a"thors li%e 5ilan 8"ndera or Salman 3"shdie have refined the
narrator$s role in fiction or to claim that !ielding$s style has
#een corr"pted #y the postmodern agenda of s"ch a"thors& (he
freedom of the reader seems to #e the central iss"e& 2s the reader
more free to explore ideas and iss"es when the narrator and
narrative poses *"estions and withholds "ltimate answers, or does
the reader need an ideological str"ct"re, a framewor% to explore
and ac%nowledge the limits of interpretive freedomG 2n either
event, witho"t !ielding and his advancement of the narrative form
s"ch *"estions co"ld not #e posed or answered&
7or%s Cited
'artschi, elen& (he >oing and 9ndoing of !iction: A St"dy of
Joseph Andrews& New Hor%: 4eter Dang 4"#lishers, Dtd&, 19-1&

!ielding, enry& Joseph Andrews: A Norton Critical Fdition& omer
,old#erg, Fd& New Hor%: 7&7& Norton I Co&, 19-:&
000& <?n the 8nowledge of the Character of 5en<& 3pt in Joseph
Andrews: A Norton Critical Fdition& omer ,old#erg, Fd& New
Hor%: 7&7& Norton I Co&, 19-:&
000& AFssay on ,ood Nat"reB& 5arch 2:, 1:6;& 3pt in Joseph
Andrews: A Norton Critical Fdition& omer ,old#erg, Fd& New
Hor%: 7&7& Norton I Co&, 19-:&
,old#erg, omer& <(he Art of Joseph Andrews<& Chicago: 9niversity
of Chicago 4ress, 19E9&
,ossman, Dionel& <Diterat"re and Society in the Farly
Fnlightenment: (he Case of 5eriva"x&< 5odern Dang"age Notes,
-2 +19E:/: 1;E0111&
a)litt, 7illiam& <A 4erfect 4iece of Statistics in its 8ind&<
Dect"res on the Fnglish Comic 7riters, Dondon, 1-19& 7or%s,
ed& 4&,& owe +Dondon: J&5& >ent, 1911/ E: 11.&
5cCrea, 'rian& <3ewriting 4amela: Social Change and 3eligio"s
!aith in Joseph Andrews&< St"dies in the Novel 1E +19-6/:
11:069& 3pt in Joseph Andrews: A Norton Critical Fdition&
omer ,old#erg, Fd& New Hor%: 7&7& Norton I Co&, 19-:&
Sac%s, Sheldon& !iction and the Shape of 'elief& 'er%eley and Dos
Angeles, CA: 9niversity of California 4ress, 19E6&
(aylor, Jr& >ic%& <Joseph as ero in Joseph Andrews&< ("lane
St"dies in Fnglish : +19.:/: 9101;9& 3pt in Joseph Andrews: A
Norton Critical Fdition& omer ,old#erg, Fd& New Hor%: 7&7&
Norton I Co&, 19-:&