Picaresque Elements in Joseph
Andrews
Dr. Gajender Kumar
ABSTRACT
Joseph Andrews is one of the famous novels of
Henry Fielding published in 1742. It is a parody of Samuel
Richardson’s novel Pamela. The novelist targets the moral and
sentimental elements of Pamela in his novel. He creates the male
protagonist, Joseph Andrews, who embodies the same virtues as
Pamela, but with a more robust and Masculine Character. The story
follows a handsome & virtuous Youngman Joseph Andrews who sets out
on a journey with his friend Parson Adams. Along the way, they
encounter various characters, including the Fanny Goodwill who later
becomes his beloved. Henry Fielding satirizes the social norms,
politics and literary conventions of 18th century England. It
exposes themes of virtues, morality and human condition.
Keywords: Parody, Sentimental, Protagonist, Setout, Encounter and
Exposes
