English Literature

Henry Fielding undoubtedly holds moral views far-ahead of his times. Morality is an approval or adherence to principles that govern ethical and virtuous conduct. Fielding was accused of being immoral in his novels. Dr. Johnson called his novels �vicious and corrupting� . Richardson echoed the �charge of immorality� against him. Modern critics, however, has justified Fielding and gave him a credit of �an estimable ethical code� . Strachey declared him a �deep, accurate, scientific moralist� . Indeed neither �Joseph Andrews� nor �Tom Jones� strikes the modern sensibility as �low� or �immoral� either in purpose or in narration. Behind the truthful portrait of life, lies his broad moral vision. His aim was to correct mankind by pointing out their blunders. �I have endeavored to laugh at mankind, out to their follies and vices.� Fielding reacted sharply against the code of ethics as incited by Richardson in �Pamela� . He feels that Pamela�s virtue is an affectation and a commodity, exch...

       Henry Fielding   is widely studied today as one of the chief begetters of the modernist movement in novel and as a master who embodied in realistic prose a panoramic survey of the contemporary society. With the novelty and vitality of the writings of Henry Fielding exerted a major influence on the succeeding writers and dominated the English fiction until the end of the 19th century.          Fielding�s brilliant tour de force   Joseph Andrews   is an astounding encapsulation of the 18th century English social life and manners. It mirrors with rare force and realism, the blemishes of mankind in its true face. The novel, in its entirety, is an impassioned satire   on the moral and social ills that beset the 18th century English society. In this novel we are confronted with a chameleonic society that frequently changes its appearance to gratify personal lusts of various kinds. The social life portra...