Morality in Henry Fieldings Novels Joseph Andrews Amelia

Introduction Although Henry Fielding (1707-1754) wrote many literary works I am going to deal mainly with his major novels, Joseph Andrews, \and Amelia. All of these works contain a strong moral message, but the moral message is not entirely consistent, and is presented in various ways. One of Fieldings main concerns was the question of marriage. His ideas on marriage are concisely summed up by All worthy in his sermon on matrimony: I have always thought love the only foundation of happiness in a married state and in my opinion all these marriages which are contracted from other motives are greatly criminal . To deny that beauty is an agreeable object to the eye would be false and foolish But to make this the sole consideration of†¦show more content†¦Their eldest son was Henry, who was born on April 22, 1707, and had an uncertain number of brothers and sisters of the whole blood. After his first wife’s death, General Fielding (for he attained that rank) married again. The most remarkable offspring of the first marriage, next to Henry, was his sister Sarah, also a novelist, who wrote David Simple; of the second, John, afterwards Sir John Fielding, who, though blind, succeeded his half-brother as a Bow Street magistrate, and in that office combined an equally honourable record with a longer tenure. Joseph Andrews Of the works mentioned, Joseph Andrews contains the most virtuous and idealised couple; Joseph and Fanny, even if they are somewhat unrealistic. Joseph is tempted by both Lady Booby and Mrs Slipslop and refuses the advances of each of them, remaining constant in his chaste devotion to Fanny. The chastity of their love is constantly emphasised and admired by Fielding, and they are rewarded for their virtuousness with eternal happiness (it is heavily implied). Fielding writes of their union thus: Joseph remains blessed with his Fanny, whom he doates on with the utmost Tenderness, which is all returned on her side. As well as maintaining their spiritual happiness, their financial problems are solved by Mr Boobys unprecedented generosity in giving Fanny a gift of two thousand pounds. Their blissful life is contrasted with the lifeShow MoreRelatedJospeh Andrews as Comic Epic in Prose3335 Words   |  14 PagesJoseph Andrews From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the novel. For the former Liberal Member of Parliament, see Joseph Andrews (politician). Joseph Andrews Author(s) Henry Fielding Original title The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend, Mr. Abraham Adams Country Britain Language English Publication date 1742 Media type print Preceded by Shamela, or An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews(1741) Followed by The Life and Death of JohnathanRead More A Double Standard for Men and Women in Tom Jones1321 Words   |  6 Pages London argues that although Fielding seems to put aside the gender bias, he actually enforces it by the way his character Sophia changes at the end of the novel. I think this is an interesting observation that has some merit. London does a good job of providing examples to reinforce her argument. London claims that throughout the novel Sophia steps over the bounds of authority in order to maintain her own integrity, something rather uncommon for women to do back in the 18th century. The mostRead MoreThe Rise of the Novels in the Eighteenth Century4179 Words   |  17 PagesMonday, December 27, 2010 The Rise of the Novel in the Eighteenth Century Introduction: In the eighteenth century the years after the forties witnessed a wonderful efflorescence of a new literary genre which was soon to establish itself for all times to come as the dominant literary form. Of course, we are referring here to the English novel which was born with Richardsons  Pamela  and has been thriving since then. When Matthew Arnold used the epithets excellent and indispensable for the eighteenth