Joseph Andrews -

: Fielding critiques the vanity and hypocrisy of the upper classes, contrasting their "false kindness" with the genuine Christian charity of the lower-status characters. Plot Summary

, full title The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams , is a seminal 18th-century novel by Henry Fielding , first published in 1742. Originally conceived as a parody of Samuel Richardson’s Pamela , the work evolved into a distinct "comic epic poem in prose" that satirizes the hypocrisy and social rigidities of 18th-century English society. Core Literary Foundations Joseph Andrews

: Fielding defines this unique genre in his preface, combining the structural elements of an epic—such as high diction and heroic journeys—with comic characters and everyday prose. : Fielding critiques the vanity and hypocrisy of

: The novel begins by flipping the script of Samuel Richardson's Pamela . While Pamela Andrews resists her master's advances, Fielding’s hero, her brother Joseph, resists the sexual advances of his mistress, Lady Booby, to maintain his own "virtue". Originally conceived as a parody of Samuel Richardson’s