Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.
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
Studies in Philology – University of North Carolina Press
Published: Jan 9, 2006
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.