Joseph Andrews

Name: Joseph Andrews
Brand: Penguin Random House UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Henry Fielding
ISBN: 9780718198411

Author: Henry Fielding

Series: Penguin English Library

Narrator: Sean Barrett

Abridged: 5 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 06/28/2012

Categories: Fiction, Classic, Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

Synopsis

Penguin Classics presents Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actor Sean Barrett.

'Kissing, Joseph, is but a prologue to a Play. Can I believe a young fellow of your Age and Complexion will be content with Kissing?'

Henry Fielding's riotous tale of innocents in a corrupt world was one of the earliest English novels, blending bawdy slapstick, philosophical musing and pointed social satire to create a work of moral complexity and generous, life-affirming humanity.

Published in 1742, it tells the story of the chaste servant Joseph Andrews who, after being sacked for spurning the advances of the lascivious Lady Booby, takes to the road, accompanied by his beloved Fanny Goodwill and the absent-minded, much put-upon Parson Adams. There they encounter robbers, tricksters, seducers, mishaps and strange twists of fortune, in a series of adventures filled with exuberant comedy.

Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.

About Henry Fielding

Henry Fielding (1707-1754) started his career as a playwright until his outspoken satirical plays so annoyed Walpole's Government that a new Licensing Act was introduced to drive him from the stage. He turned to writing various 'comic epics in prose', including Shamela and Tom Jones. A master innovator, he is credited with creating the first modern novels in English. He was also a magistrate and co-founder of the Bow Street Runners, often dubbed as London's first professional police force.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rabbia on August 06, 2019

In volume 1 of Joseph Andrews, the main thing that Fielding highlightes is "moral bankruptcy" .Book 1 is about the chastity of Joseph, the handsome lad to whom Mrs. Slipslop and Lady Booby try to seduce sexually. (Their names attract me which are given on the basis of their role). Later on same thin......more

Goodreads review by Mike on June 02, 2022

An amusing satire on 18th-century England that still manages to have some universality in the fun it pokes at the pretentious, small-minded, snobbish, and ill-tempered. Though the author's better-known work The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling has all of the same virtues as a work of prose, onl......more

Goodreads review by Maja on October 12, 2024

I loved all the parts that had Joseph as the main character ..unfortunately that was a couple chapters at the beginning and a couple chapters at the end. Majority of the book is about a parson (his friend) who is on a journey back home and all the riff raffs he gets into and how he handles it. There......more

Goodreads review by Katie on January 31, 2018

Pretty good so far I like Henry Fielding's playful style of writing. His characters and stories are a lot of fun and never boring.......more

Goodreads review by the_queen_of_books24 on October 28, 2017

Too tired, RTC......more