Joseph Andrews and Shamela - Henry Fielding

Edited by Douglas Brooks-Davies and Martin C. Battestin Revised with a new Introduction and Notes by Thomas Keymer Both Joseph Andrews (1742) and Shamela (1741) were prompted by the success of Richardson`s Pamela (1740), of which Shamela is a splendidly bawdy parody. But in Shamela Fielding also demonstrates his concern for the corruption of contemporary society, politics, religion, morality, and taste. The same themes, together with that of love in all its guises, are present in Joseph Andrews, Fielding`s first novel. It is a work of considerable literary sophistication and satirical verve, but its appeal lies also in its spirit of comic affirmation, epitomized in the celebrated character of Parson Adams. This revised and expanded edition follows the text of Joseph Andrews established by Martin C. Battestin for the definitive Wesleyan Edition of Fielding`s works. The text of Shamela is based on the first edition, and two substantial appendices reprint the preliminary matter from Conyers Middleton`s Life of Cicero and the second edition of Richardson`s Pamela (both closely parodied in Shamela).