Title: Joseph Andrews and Shamela 

Author: Henry Fielding 

Genre: Classic Literature 

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Paperback

Pages: 410

Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis:

Henry Fielding wrote both Joseph Andrews (1742) and Shamela (1741) in response to Samuel Richardson’s book Pamela (1740), of which Shamela is a splendidly bawdy travesty. Joseph Andrews begins as a parody, too, but soon outgrows its origins, and its deepest roots lie in Cervantes and Marivaux. In both stories, Fielding demonstrates his concern for the corruption of contemporary society, politics, religion, morality, and taste.
This revised and expanded edition follows the text of Joseph Andrews established by Martin C. Battestin for the definitive Wesleyan Edition of Fielding’s works. The text of Shamela is based on the first edition, and two substantial appendices reprint the preliminary matter from the second edition of Richardson’s Pamela and Conyers Middleton’s Life of Cicero, which is also closely parodied in Shamela. This Oxford World’s Classics edition also features a new introduction by Thomas Keymer which situates Fielding’s works in their critical and historical contexts.

Review:

Finished my first book of 2017! This book was an alright read. It definitely moved slowly, but it had interesting characters! Written and published in the first half of the 18th century, the book looks at the theme of virtue. Joseph Andrews is a footman for a gentleman’s family, and when this gentleman dies, his wife tries to deduce him. Pleading chastity, Joseph is fired from her service. What then follows is an adventure to find his beloved, Fanny, whom he hopes to marry soon, even though they are both poor! When he meets up with her, they experience a number of different roadblocks to their union, but they maintain their charity and virtue throughout the novel!
If you like classics, then this is a good one! While it was a slow read, it was still interesting to learn about the authors viewpoints!