Thursday, September 12, 2013

A Review: Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding
Genre: Dramatic Fiction (?)

This novel was written in the 1700s as a satire to Samuel Richardson's novel, Pamela, where a very moral young woman is always sought after by not very moral young men. In Joseph Andrews, Joseph (Pamela's brother) is a supremely handsome young man who is loved by many women but himself loves one beautiful poor girl. This novel follows his travels with Parson Adams and this young woman across the British countryside.

I read this novel for my History of the Novel class, and I found it hilarious. The characters, which are more like caricatures, are just hilarious and very dramatic. They main characters are naive and get into very funny situations. Also, Henry Fielding just has a witty writing style and makes fun of many different things (hence the satire aspect).

Since this is a very early novel (some argue it is the first one), it's a little difficult to read sometimes. The narrator is very intrusive, which can be irritating at times, as well as his random tangents. He is like a character himself, and can be funny too.

Joseph Andrews is a very entertaining, funny, and exciting novel, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading, since it is an important part of the history of this genre. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

What I learned: It is important to read people truthfully so one will not be taken advantage of, and see people for who they really are.

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