The Rise of the Novel

The most important figure in terms of lasting literary influence during this period,
however, was undoubtedly Daniel Defoe. An outsider from the literary establishment
ruled by Pope and his cohorts, Defoe was in some ways an anomaly during a period
defined as 'Augustan,' despite the fact that he was a writer of social criticism and
satire before he turned to novels. He did not belong to the respected literary world,
which at best ignored him and his works and at worst derided him. !n "#$%, &wift
for e'ample referred to him as (the )ellow that was Pilloryed, ! have forgot his
name.(*
The works of fiction for which Defoe is remembered, particularly Moll Flanders "#++*
and Robinson Crusoe "#"%*, owe less to the satirical and refined impulse of the
Augustan tradition, and more to a contrary tradition of early prose narrative by
women, particularly Aphra ,ehn, -ary Delariviere -anley and .ane ,arker. &ince !an
/att's influential study, The Rise of the Novel "%0#*, literary historians have
generally considered Robinson Crusoe the first successful 1nglish novel and Defoe as
one of the originators of realistic fiction in the eighteenth century, but he was deeply
indebted to his female precursors and probably would never have attempted prose
narrative if they had not created an audience for it in the first place.
The 1nglish novel was a product of several differing literary traditions, among them
the )rench romance, the &panish picares2ue tale and novella, and such earlier prose
models in 1nglish as .ohn 3yly's Euphues "0#%*, &ir Philip &idney's Arcadia "0%$*
and .ohn ,unyan's Pilgrim's Progress "456*. The authors of these works collectively
helped pave the way for the form of the novel as it is known today. The true
pioneers of the novel form, however, were the women writers pursuing their craft in
opposition to the classically refined precepts of the writers defining the Augustan
Age. Particularly influential were Aphra ,ehn's travel narrative Oroonoo "455* and
her erotic epistolary novel !ove !etters "et#een a Nobleman and his $ister "457*.
!n Oroonoo% ,ehn provides numerous details of day to day life and a conversational
narrative voice, while with !ove !etters she pioneered the epistolary form for a
longer work of fiction, over fifty years before 8ichardson. The political prose satires
of -ary Delariviere -anley were racy e'pos9s of high:society scandals written in the
tradition of !ove !etters% ,ehn's erotic roman & clef' -anley's novels The $ecret
(istor) of *ueen +arah and the +araians "#$0* and The Ne# Atalantis "#$%* were
widely popular in their day and helped create an audience for prose narratives that
was large enough to support the new breed of the professional novelist.
1li;a Haywood also began her career writing erotic tales with an ostensibly political
or high society background. Her first novel, !ove in E,cess "#"%* went through four
editions in as many years. !n the thirties, her writing underwent a transformation
suitable to the growing moral concerns of the era, and her later novels show the
influence of her male contemporaries 8ichardson and )ielding this despite the fact
that she may have been the author of Anti-Pamela "#6"*, an early attack on
8ichardson's first novel*. Haywood's The (istor) of Miss "ets) Thoughtless "#0"* in
particular belongs in a more realistic tradition of writing, bringing the action from
high society into the realm of the middle class, and abandoning the description of
erotic encounters.
Particularly interesting among the work of early women novelists is that of .ane
,arker. Her novel !oves .ntrigues/ Or% The (istor) of the Amours of "osvil and
0alesia "#"7* tells in first:person narrative the psychologically realistic tale of a
heroine who doesn't get her man. The portrayal of <alesia's emotional dilemma,
caught in a web of modesty, social circumstances and the hero's uncertainty and
indecisiveness, captures intriguing facets of psychological pu;;les without providing
easy answers for the readers. <alesia retreats from marriage, hardly knowing why
she does so or how the situation came about, and the reader is no smarter.
-any of the elements of the modern novel attributed to Defoe :: e.g. the beginnings
of psychological realism and a consistent narrative voice :: were anticipated by
women writers. Defoe's contribution was in putting them all together and creating
out of these elements sustained prose narratives blending physical and psychological
realism. His most impressive works, such as Moll Flanders and Ro,ana "#+6*,
treated characters faced with the difficulties of surviving in a world of recogni;ably
modern economic forces. <iven his capitalist philosophy, it is not surprising that
Defoe's protagonists are self:reliant, resourceful individualists who e'press his
middle:class values. !n his attempt to balance individualism and economic realism
with a belief in <od's providence, Defoe created multi:faceted characters who
combine repentance for past misdeeds with a celebration of the individual's power to
survive in a hostile environment.
Although Defoe and his female contemporaries were looked down upon by the
intellectual establishment represented by Pope and &wift, later developments in
literary history have shown that it was they who would define the literature of a new
age, and not the so:called Augustans. /hile the novel remains the dominant literary
form of the twentieth century, mock epic is at best an element used occasionally in
comedy. Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders are still widely read= The Rape of the
!oc is mentioned in history books. .onathan &wift produced an enduring classic as
well with 0ulliver's Travels, but despite his brilliance it is the merchant Daniel Defoe,
a >ournalist who saw writing as (a considerable branch of the 1nglish commerce(
Essa) upon !iterature, "#+4*, who is considered the father of the 1nglish novel.
Background
The novel Joseph Andrews was written in the 18th century during the Augustan Age by
Henry Fielding. The followers of the Augustan Age valued and supported reason and
strongly believed in empiricism and human nature. The ability to understand the world
through the human senses and to apply reason through the observation of nature was
highly commended the advancement of knowledge could only be acheived through these
methods. Augustan writers often found that the application of satire in literature was the
most proficient tool available to educate society and rememdy cultural problems. Henry
Fielding was an Augustan writer who e!ercised a repertoire of literary tools in his novel.
The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews is a comic epic that follows the
personal account of the affable young man "oseph and his faithful companion the #arson
Adams. Through a series of misadventures$ Fielding constructs an entertaining story that
embodies all of the principles of the Augustan Age.
Early and Contemporary Critical Responses
The reading of Joseph Andrews elicited various responses from contemporary society.
%any critics found that his novel was a microcosm of Augustan beliefs and principles it
manufactured a representation of these convictions in a manner that was easily accessible
and understandable by the general public. However$ there were some who thought
Joseph Andrews was poorly assembled. %any of the critics who impugned his work were
offended by the manner in which he portrayed some of his characters and the parodies of
other te!ts that he incorporated into his work. &umulatively$ the responses to "oseph
Andrews were of a more positive nature and gradually over the course of time the novel
has become an e!emplary representation of Augustan behavior.
Positive vs. Negative Evaluations
On human nature:
To the Augustan society$ human nature was a constant that observation and reason could
be applied to for the advancement of knowledge. 't was often said that Henry Fielding(s
greatest acheivements in his novel Joseph Andrews were his depictions of human nature
as it e!isted in all levels of society he showed the nature of not only his own social class
but of all social classes. 'n his representations$ Fielding demonstrated his ability to
capture a )type) of person. 'n a letter to *ady Henrietta *u!borough +concerning
Fielding(s latest novel Tom Jones,$ -illiam .henstonewrote$ )' see no &haracter yet y is
near so striking as %r. Abraham Adams. That was an original$ ' think unattempted
before / yet so natural y most people seem(d to know y %an) +012,. He describes how
Fielding presented everyday people in his novel Joseph Andrews that the average reader
could recogni3e in their own interactions with society. Fielding(s ability to create a
parallel between novel and reality greatly contributed to the commendations he received
from contemporary critics. However$ it is ironic that .henstone was the one to recogni3e
this talent in Fielding because 4 years prior to this missive his opinion of Joseph Andrews
was drastically different. He had written in a letter to a friend$ )' read it half a year ago
the week after ' came to town5 but made %r. .huckburgh take it again$ imagining it
altogether a very mean performance. . .the greater part is unnatural and unhumourous)
+0167012,. Throughout the letter he continued to 8uestion how any reader could
appreciate the novel. -hile admitting that it had some redeeming 8ualities$ he held firm
to the belief that it was not worthy of high society. 9evertheless$ there were many readers
who did not share .henstone(s initial reaction$ including .henstone himself.
'n addition to accurately depicting the nature of people$ readers found that Fielding also
enabled them to ac8uire knowledge on the costums and culture of :nglish society
through clear descriptions of its inhabitants and circumstances. -illiam Ha3litt wrote$ )'
should be at a loss where to find in any authentic documents of the same period so
satisfactory an account of the general state of society$ and of moral$ political$ and
religious feeling in the reign of ;eorge '' as we meet with in the Adventures of "oseph
Andrews and his friend %r. Abraham Adams) +<=1,. This representation was useful for
readers in other countries as well the Frenchman #ierre Francois ;uyot >esfontaines
wrote that )it instructs the reader in the costums of the :nglish which are not at all known
in France$ and it apprises us of a hundred curious particulars worthy of the attention of
the most serious persons) +014,. >esfontaines was the editor of the #arisian periodical
review Observations sur les ecrits modernese who translated Joseph Andrews into French
in 14<<. &ritics of contemporary society such as Ha3litt and >esfontaines greatly
appreciated its resemblance to the authenticity of nature e!pressed in persons of various
social standings throughout the novel Fielding did not showcase basic virtues
e!clusively in his characters$ but he showed the vices of mankind as well.
On the character of Mr. Abraham Adams:
At the time the novel was published$ the most profound contention that arose between
critics was the character of #arson Adams his personality was carefully constructed by
Fielding and is markedly the most developed character in the novel. Adams$ who is the
absent7minded friend and mentor to Joseph Andrews$ e!hibits virtuous traits such as
honesty$ wisdom$ piety and unselfishness as well as the fiendish traits of vanity and
hypocrisy. These contradictory attributes in his personage are the basis for arguements
surrounding his character. An e!cerpt from The Oxford and Cambridge Miscellany
stated$ )' have heard the character of %r. Adams the clergyman. . highly condemn(d$
because$ it seems$ he knew not the world his ignorance of the world and its ways$
demonstrates him not to have been a child of it$ and if so$ what they$ his brothers of the
cloth$ who are so thoroughly knowing in this point$ are$ who is not able to guess?) +018,.
'n response to the antagonistic opinions of readers concerning %r. Adams$ .arah Fielding
wrote$ )9or less understood is the character of parson Adams in "oseph Andrews$ by
those persons$ who$ fi!ing their thoughts on the hounds trailing the bacon in his pocket
+with some oddness in his behavior$ and peculiarities in his dress, think proper to
overlook the noble simplicity of his mind$ with the other innumberable beauties of his
character) +011,. .he further clarifies her point of view by stating that the best$ most
virtuous men often inspire banter among their companions with their peculiarities$ but
that the true ob@ects of ridicule are designed to be those that ridicule those undeserving$
honest men such as the #arson Adams.
On his parodic and satirical format:
Another aspect of Fielding(s work that inspired dislike among some of his readers was his
complete parody of .amuel Aichardson(s !amela in his "hamela his parody of
Aichardson(s work affected the reception of Joseph Andrews and other literary works
among some of society. For e!ample$ ;eorge &heyne who was a physician and friend of
Aichardson wrote that Fielding(s novel was a )wretched #erformance) and that it would
)entertain none but #orters or -atermen) +016,. This was a harsh insult that suggested
Fielding(s work was not fit for proper society and that his use of humour and satire would
be considered contemptible by any educated reader. Fielding connects Aichardson(s
character #amela to "oseph through a familial relation he is described as +and is by all
appearances, her brother. Fielding mimics the theme of chastity through "oseph(s actions
and disposition$ and he formally introduces #amela(s character in Book < of his novel. 'n
response to Fielding(s actions$ Aichardson wrote$ )9othing but a shorter life than ' wish
him$ can hinder him from writing himself out of date. The #amela$ which he abused in
his .hamela$ taught him how to write to please$ tho( his manners are so different) +014,.
However$ not all readers of Joseph Andrews interpreted Fielding(s actions to be malicious
in their intent. :li3abeth &arter wrote$ )'t must surely be a marvellous wrongheadedness
and perple!ity of understanding that can make any one consider this complete satire as a
very immoral thing) +012,. &arter$ who was a member of the )Blue .tocking *adies$)
believed that the whole novel carried a )spirit of benevolence) that governed it amiable to
any reader she also e!pressed her confusion on how so many had interpreted it
negatively. The range of reactions among readers is evident in these contradictory
interpretations.
Conclusion
The general reception of "oseph Andrews among Fielding(s social peers leaned more
towards the positive spectrum. -hile there were few who held a great dislike for the
novel$ they were greatly outnumbered by those who held a very high opinion of the
novel. Bne such person was "ames Beattie he wrote that )the &omick Aomance has been
brought to perfection in :ngland by Henry Fielding who seems to have possessed more
wit and humour$ and more knowledge of mankind$ than any other person of modern
times)+<==,. Fielding(s ability to create an entertaining and intellectually stimulating story
that closely resembles reality would have earned him accolades among many Augustan
readers. #ierre >esfontaines claimed that )the :nglish place Cthis novelD above all novels
that have ever e!isted$ or at least that they rank e8ual to the Adventures of >. Eui!ote
and .carron(s Aoman comi8ue) +014,. He also wrote$)' have no fear of affirming that
:ngland has never before produced anything so perfect of this kind) +014,. >esfontaines
opinion shows that Fielding(s writing was e!alted by not only the :nglish but by other
:uropean nations as well +such as France,. Bpinions such as these show that Fielding has
been compared to literary legends as a writer and his work has been considered e8ual to
the ingenious creations of his time. -illiam Ha3litt wrote$ )As a painter of real life$ he
was e8ual to Hogarth as a mere observer of human nature$ he was little inferior to
.hakespeare) +<=F,. As a writer$ Henry Fielding embodied all of the principles of the
Augustan Age he showed his talent in his depictions of human nature through
endearingly familiar characters and his ability to wield a number of literary tools through
his use of satire and his parodic creations he has been found to be one of the greatest
writers of his time.
References
Fielding$ Henry. "oseph Andrews. 1st. 9ew Gork5 -.-. 9orton and &ompany$ 1184
'mage5 "oseph Andrews cover illustration5 borrowed from Ama3on.com
Contributor
>iane Aiken