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Augustan Burlesque and the Genesis of Joseph Andrews

Augustan Burlesque and the Genesis of Joseph Andrews by Roger D. Lund N an early response to Fielding's first novel, André Michel Ramsay remarks, ``I have read the first book of `The History of Joseph Andrews,' but I don't believe I shall be able to finish the first volume. Dull burlesque is still more unsupportable than dull morality.'' 1 Such a response is surprising in light of the modern consensus that while Joseph Andrews is highly moral, it is not burlesque. Fielding certainly encourages his readers to achieve this conclusion, taking pains to distinguish Joseph Andrews ``from the Productions of Romance Writers on the one hand'' and ``Burlesque Writers on the other.'' 2 As I argue here, however, such assertions are misleading, and Ramsay's reading of Joseph Andrews as burlesque deserves closer attention. While it is customary to view Fielding's first great work of fiction as part of the emerging tradition of the novel, reading Joseph Andrews in the light of burlesque expectation reveals much about the process by which new genres emerge from older forms. And in Fielding's case, more careful attention to the burlesque elements within Joseph Andrews itself helps us to understand the ultimate impossibility of seamlessly accommodating those heroic features necessary for http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Studies in Philology University of North Carolina Press

Augustan Burlesque and the Genesis of Joseph Andrews

Studies in Philology , Volume 103 (1) – Jan 9, 2006

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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.
ISSN
1543-0383
Publisher site
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Abstract

by Roger D. Lund N an early response to Fielding's first novel, André Michel Ramsay remarks, ``I have read the first book of `The History of Joseph Andrews,' but I don't believe I shall be able to finish the first volume. Dull burlesque is still more unsupportable than dull morality.'' 1 Such a response is surprising in light of the modern consensus that while Joseph Andrews is highly moral, it is not burlesque. Fielding certainly encourages his readers to achieve this conclusion, taking pains to distinguish Joseph Andrews ``from the Productions of Romance Writers on the one hand'' and ``Burlesque Writers on the other.'' 2 As I argue here, however, such assertions are misleading, and Ramsay's reading of Joseph Andrews as burlesque deserves closer attention. While it is customary to view Fielding's first great work of fiction as part of the emerging tradition of the novel, reading Joseph Andrews in the light of burlesque expectation reveals much about the process by which new genres emerge from older forms. And in Fielding's case, more careful attention to the burlesque elements within Joseph Andrews itself helps us to understand the ultimate impossibility of seamlessly accommodating those heroic features necessary for

Journal

Studies in PhilologyUniversity of North Carolina Press

Published: Jan 9, 2006

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