Depiction of Society of 18th Century in England
A novelist creates visual and auditory realism through the description of societies
and narration of incidents of the societies he describes. The callousness,
shrewdness and unjust society in England is nicely and distinctively depicted
by Henry Fielding. Henry describes his notion of illustration the society he
observes in the preface of the novel,
I describe not men, but manners, not an individual, but species
Let's discuss positive and negative aspects of the species of Henry, represented in the novel:
Negative Aspects
Negative aspects usually lie between the distinction between, as ascribed by
Hemingway, "The Haves and The Have Nots".
Uncontrollable Passion of Lust
Henry Fielding starts his realism by giving an account of the uncontrollable
passion of Lust in the eyes of Lady Booby, Mrs. Slipslop and Betty. Lady Booby,
despite being the wife of an authoritative Sir Thomas Booby, still has evil
designs over her poor footman, Joseph. Joseph denies her negative approach and
consequently, is dismissed from his job of serving his lady. Mrs. Slipslop and
Betty follow suit and both of them have to face the music. Mrs. Slipslop is
accused by her Lady Booby and Betty is dismissed by her mistress.
Social Callousness
Henry's main intention behind writing the very novel is to deny Richardson's
morality of "virtuous" Pamela through the depiction of social callousness
of the eighteenth-century society. Joseph, robbed of his money and stripped
naked, left dying in a ditch but the people passing nearby his unconscious body
are stripped of their morality. "O Jesus, a naked Man! Dear Coachman,
drive on and leave him", cries a voice and he is again left in the lurch (مصیبت).
Unjust Judiciary
The unjust judiciary is a prominent feature of every society but during the reign
of George II, it was far more unjust than these of today's. People were given
hard punishments over minor wrongs. For example, the poor postillion had been
banished for just stealing a hen roast. Parson Adams got in hot waters for just
saving Fanny from being abducted by a scoundrel and he is called before the
Justice and the Justice makes fun of the good parson's torn coat. Moreover,
Lady Booby hires the services of a false lawyer Scoutt to entrap Joseph
legally.
Hilarious Pranks
The Squire of Fools (The TikTok Dudes) ridicules the noble personality of the
good parson through hilarious and humiliating pranks. For instance, when Adams
is about to sit on a chair, they snatch it away and he fells down. Another
person blows the firecrackers which terrifies Adams. But he pays them back in
the same coin by giving their master a sound ducking in the water. Or Parson
Trulliber takes the good parson as a purchaser of his hogs and when he fells
down in mud, Parson Trulliber, instead of lending him a helping hand, laughs
at his miserable condition.
Positive Aspects
Despite showcasing the dark allies of the earlier eighteenth century, Henry
Fielding also shows a positive picture of that particular society. For
instance, the good postillion, giving Joseph his coat, Parson Adams, helping
Joseph, giving him all his money and protecting Fanny from bad hands, Betty,
making a cup of tea to get the dying Joseph recovered, the generosity of Mr.
Tow-Wouse for letting Joseph stay in his inn and many other examples of positivity, portraying the existence of
humanity under the dark shadows of malice, cruelty, falsehood and pride.
Conclusion
Manifestly, "The History of Joseph Andrews and his Friend Parson Abraham
Adams" is an illustration of the virtues and vices of the
eighteenth-century society.
Sources
- MA English Super Notes
- Critical Study of Joseph Andrews, NKM Literary Series 2016-17 Edition
- Lectures and Notes of Sir Nasir Iqbal
