�Joseph Andrews� a comic epic in prose
It is true that we can term �Joseph Andrews� as a �comic epic poem in prose� because it has almost all the prerequisites that are important for labeling it as a �comic epic poem in prose�. Fielding himself termed it as a �comic epic poem in prose� in the �Preface to Joseph Andrews� . The impetus for the novel, as Fielding claims in the preface, is the establishment of a genre of writing "which I do not remember to have been hitherto attempted in our language" , defined as the "comic epic in prose" : a work of prose fiction, epic in length and variety of incident and character. Fielding has combined the ideal of �comic epic� and the �prose epic� to produce what he termed as �comic epic poem in prose� . The comic tone of the novel is enhanced by the mock-heroic style, for Fielding admitted burlesque in the diction. It is instrumental in heightening the ridiculous nature of situation and affectations. A ...