Morality in Henry Fieldings Novels Joseph Andrews Amelia

Introduction Although Henry Fielding (1707-1754) wrote many literary works I am going to deal mainly with his major novels, Joseph Andrews, \and Amelia. All of these works contain a strong moral message, but the moral message is not entirely consistent, and is presented in various ways. One of Fieldings main concerns was the question of marriage. His ideas on marriage are concisely summed up by All worthy in his sermon on matrimony: I have always thought love the only foundation of happiness in a married state and in my opinion all these marriages which are contracted from other motives are greatly criminal . To deny that beauty is an agreeable object to the eye would be false and foolish But to make this the sole consideration of†¦show more content†¦Their eldest son was Henry, who was born on April 22, 1707, and had an uncertain number of brothers and sisters of the whole blood. After his first wife’s death, General Fielding (for he attained that rank) married again. The most remarkable offspring of the first marriage, next to Henry, was his sister Sarah, also a novelist, who wrote David Simple; of the second, John, afterwards Sir John Fielding, who, though blind, succeeded his half-brother as a Bow Street magistrate, and in that office combined an equally honourable record with a longer tenure. Joseph Andrews Of the works mentioned, Joseph Andrews contains the most virtuous and idealised couple; Joseph and Fanny, even if they are somewhat unrealistic. Joseph is tempted by both Lady Booby and Mrs Slipslop and refuses the advances of each of them, remaining constant in his chaste devotion to Fanny. The chastity of their love is constantly emphasised and admired by Fielding, and they are rewarded for their virtuousness with eternal happiness (it is heavily implied). Fielding writes of their union thus: Joseph remains blessed with his Fanny, whom he doates on with the utmost Tenderness, which is all returned on her side. As well as maintaining their spiritual happiness, their financial problems are solved by Mr Boobys unprecedented generosity in giving Fanny a gift of two thousand pounds. Their blissful life is contrasted with the lifeShow MoreRelatedJospeh Andrews as Comic Epic in Prose3335 Words   |  14 PagesJoseph Andrews From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the novel. For the former Liberal Member of Parliament, see Joseph Andrews (politician). Joseph Andrews Author(s) Henry Fielding Original title The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend, Mr. Abraham Adams Country Britain Language English Publication date 1742 Media type print Preceded by Shamela, or An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews(1741) Followed by The Life and Death of JohnathanRead More A Double Standard for Men and Women in Tom Jones1321 Words   |  6 Pages London argues that although Fielding seems to put aside the gender bias, he actually enforces it by the way his character Sophia changes at the end of the novel. I think this is an interesting observation that has some merit. London does a good job of providing examples to reinforce her argument. London claims that throughout the novel Sophia steps over the bounds of authority in order to maintain her own integrity, something rather uncommon for women to do back in the 18th century. The mostRead MoreThe Rise of the Novels in the Eighteenth Century4179 Words   |  17 PagesMonday, December 27, 2010 The Rise of the Novel in the Eighteenth Century Introduction: In the eighteenth century the years after the forties witnessed a wonderful efflorescence of a new literary genre which was soon to establish itself for all times to come as the dominant literary form. Of course, we are referring here to the English novel which was born with Richardsons  Pamela  and has been thriving since then. When Matthew Arnold used the epithets excellent and indispensable for the eighteenth

Oedipus By William Shakespeare s Oedipus - 1096 Words

1. (Question 1) The situation in Thebes is that they have a plague. Oedipus wants to discover the murderer of Laius in order to end the suffering of his people. 2. (Question 2) Oedipus is a man of action, but he is also a man of temper. Oedipus bullies Tiresias into answering him. It is at this point that Tiresias reveals that Oedipus has killed the previous king, Laius. A pattern emerges regarding Oedipus behavior. He has a temper, but is also used to having his way. At one point Oedipus becomes extremely angry and accuses Tiresias of acting in collusion with his brother-in-law, Creon, to take the throne from Oedipus. 3. (Question 3) Oedipus doesn’t accept the story because he has already accused Tiresias of being personally disloyal, stubborn, unpatriotic, and disrespectful to Thebes and that he is partly responsible for the death of Laius. Tiresias has several times accused Oedipus of having an uncontrollable temper. This temper may help explain why Oedipus rejects Tiresias’s revelations about Oedipus himself. 4. (Question 6) Oedipus begins to think that he is the murderer when he learns the location of the crime scene. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer, the cause of all the suffering in Thebes. Tiresias half-explains that Oedipus has done more evil than he can even imagine. Jocasta then tells him a story to show that the gods will reveal what prophets and seers sometimes do not. She believes the oracle that prophesied her husband s death at theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus 1977 Words   |  8 PagesImmediately Oedipus boldly launches a campaign to do what is best for his people and for himself†¦ I also, as is meet, will lend my aid To avenge this wrong to Thebes and to the god. Not for some far-off kinsman, but myself, Shall I expel this poison in the blood; For whoso slew that king might have a mind To strike me too with his assassin hand. A touch of selfishness is revealed in the above passage, a not-unexpected accompaniment of â€Å"godlike mastery.† Oedipus, in his public proclamation regardingRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus And Othello 982 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus and Othello are two of the most known tragic heroes throughout all of literature. While there are some noticeable differences between the two there are also many similarities between the two characters. With the amount of similarities between the two plays Shakespeare must have been inspired by Oedipus and Sophocles when he was writing Othello. Oedipus the king’s main conflict is based around Greek mythology in that from the time Oedipus is born it is prophesied by the Gods that he is goingRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus Tyrannus 1531 Words   |  7 PagesOedipus Tyrannus is a play written by Sophocles, and it deals with the interactions between divine justice/fate and human control in the events that take place for Oedipus. He is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta but he was given away as an infant due to news of a horrid oracle that would destroy the kingdom and his parents. Apollo’s oracle shows that Oedipus’s destiny and life as a whole was already predetermined before he was born and that Oedipus has no choice that would affect those eventsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus The King 909 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish Assignment – Oedipus The King In the story, Oedipus The King, written by Sophocles, two important aspects of Oedipus’ character that lead to his demise are his determination to find the truth of his origin, as well as his anger. These are flaws that negatively affect the tragic outcome at the end of the plot. Oedipus first shows signs of anger when he does not want to hear what Tiresias has to say about the murderer of Laius, even after the ruler begs for the truth. Oedipus yells, Enough! IRead MoreExploration Of William Shakespeare s Oedipus The King 1810 Words   |  8 Pages Exploration of Intellect in Oedipus the King Joshua Small English Composition II Section 201 Professor Kerwan 24 October 2015 Joshua Small Professor Kerwan English Composition II 24 October 2015 Exploration of Intellect in â€Å"Oedipus the King† Oedipus the King by Sophocles has been examined countless times over the years. It is not merely a story about a tragic prophecy fulfilled, or about a son murdering his father then marrying his mother. Oedipus the King has been analyzed manyRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Oedipus, A Play Written By Sophocles1553 Words   |  7 Pagesconvey dramatic irony through diction that symbolizes something to the audience. Oedipus, a play written by Sophocles, contains numerous accounts where the author uses words to convey a deeper truth about characters and their experiences. Sight, light, blindness, and darkness all have a literal meaning, but when placed into this play, with its intricate plot, they express the dramatic ironies that unfold between Oedipus and his past. Greek tragedies are known to use language that expresses the deeperRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Sophocles Oedipus998 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights of the Renaissance era, could have changed Ancient Greek Theatre plays tremendously as his approach was drastically different than that of Greek playwrights. In Oedipus by Sophocles, a curse has been set on the people of Thebes for the previous murderer of their former king Laius. King Oedipus as a child was given a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother and that indeed has occurred as it is proven by witnesses that he was the murdererRead MoreThe Oedipus Complex ( Oedipus )1666 Words   |  7 Pageswith the Oedipus complex, which is when a boy has an attachment to the mother, which in turns results in aggressive and envious feelings toward the father and these feelings are largely repressed. The Oedipus complex comes from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus but has largely been associ ated with Hamlet as well, since he and his mother Gertrude, have an extremely complicated relationship (Oedipus Complex). Hamlet is the predecessor of modern psychological thought because Freud came after Shakespeare. In theRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Hamlet 1366 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis Psychological State of the Characters in Hamlet The English Play writer, William Shakespeare had written many well-known pieces of work including Hamlet. Hamlet is known to be one of his most popular works. Hamlet was written in the late 16th Century about the Prince of Denmark. The original title of the work was The Tragedy of Hamlet, now it is referred to as just Hamlet. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the mental state of his characters to prove that not all characters in books haveRead More Hamlets Oedipus Complex Essays1190 Words   |  5 Pageswho embody the elements of the classic Oedipus Complex, that of a son with an undue and unhealthy attachment to his mother. D.H Lawrenceamp;#8217;s Sons and Lovers, along with other early modernist works, shows how a sonamp;#8217;s bond to his mother can lead to that characteramp;#8217;s major downfall. Even earlier than works of the late 19th Century does the Oedipus Complex appear, in this case, William Shakespeareamp;#8217;s Hamlet. Shakespeareamp;#8217;s play about the Prince o f Denmark shows

Possible solutions to child abuse free essay sample

A memorable day 1 The day that I witnessed the Celebration of Osun Osogbo shrine festival was a memorable day to me. I was living in the hostel of a school that was owned by a chief in Osogbo and the school was close to the place where the shrine rituals were performed, and the festival celebrated. That was the 30th year celebration which I witnessed, and indeed, it was a memorable day for me. When we were told to tell a story about a true experience, I talked about my experience at â€Å"Osun Osogbo† festival some years back, behold, people were amazed. Oroki nursery and primary school was one of the famous schools in Osogbo the capital city of Osun State in Nigeria, West Africa. It was attended by children of the rich and famous people of the state. My sister was one of the teachers in this school, and that gave me the privilege to attend the school. We will write a custom essay sample on Possible solutions to child abuse or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What a memory of my early childhood! It was a beautiful evening; all the children gathered together to have fun and chat with the proprietress of the school, she asked us a question, â€Å"Would you like to go on a field trip tomorrow? † Yes! The children answered. Every student wanted to get out of the compound because they were bored and it looked like prison to some of the students, living in a compound with high fence. This fence was made of blocks that surrounded the school compound so that the hostel and the children in them will be protected. One cannot get out until the semester ends, but parents could visit a number of times. Therefore, hearing about the field trip was a privilege to get out; there were smiles on every child’s face and some teachers. Guess where we will be going, she said, A memorable day2 â€Å"Tomorrow, you will be going on field trip to the palace to witness the Osun Osogbo festival and I promise is going to be fun and a memorable day for all of you† It was an exciting moment for me, for the rest of the evening, so I tried as much as I could to be in my best behavior and did not break any rule. After dinner was served, getting back to the room, my sister helped me to iron my cloth, and my shoes were properly arranged getting ready for the field trip tomorrow. The night was so long, and finally the day broke and jumping out of bed with full of excitement and said my prayers and walked down to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, took shower and dressed up in the yellow dress that was properly place on the chair, humming and singing â€Å"oh! is going to be a memorable day†. On the way to the dinning, you can passive the aroma of the bean cake. At the dinning, the children sat down gently, and neatly dressed in their best attires waiting to be served breakfast, as I sat closely to my best friend Tunrayo, she whispered to me, â€Å"Is going to be fun and a memorable day today? † Responding with smile, I nodded my head, and as soon as the grace was said, grabbing the bean cake about to put the whole piece in the mouth, I heard Ms. Ronke calling my traditional name â€Å"Ike†, â€Å"you can’t put the whole piece in your mouth at a time; I will appreciate it if you can follow the table manner†. I said, yes! Ma A memorable day 3 After the breakfast, the Iyalode of Osogbo gorgeously dressed in her â€Å"aso Oke† was waiting to talk to the children. In a happy mood she said, â€Å"Good morning, my good children, without asking you I can tell that you are all excited today, as good children, write down everything you see today, and be in your best behavior, as I promised is going to be fun and a memorable day. See you all in the evening, thank you†. Waving our hands and saying bye, she got into her car, while we all got into the school bus with our teachers, singing and clapping hands in the bus till we got to the palace where we saw a lot of people from different places around the world. It was a raining day different people with their umbrella walking side by side. As soon as we got out of the bus, we took a shot together beside the school bus. The camera man said, â€Å"Say cheese†. We all said cheese, showing all our teeth, the camera cracked (pam, pam). Suddenly, I noticed something strange, there was a creature beside us, the creature was like six inches tall and before anyone can figure out what it is, it sprang up, looking taller than the people and the building in place. Oh! My God, I screamed and forgot all the excitement and fun, not knowing what it was, so scared and desiring to go back to the hostel. Wow! What a memorable day. Then, there was a tall, young looking man before us, in a muscular voice he said â€Å"Hi, everyone, you are all welcome to this year Osun Osogbo festival, my name is Gbenga, I will be taking you around today to show you some significant places here, hope you A memorable day4 all have a wonderful day and I promise is going to be fun and a memorable day for each one of you, thank you once again you are welcome. † All students clapped their hands except me, still crying and sobbing, it was a memorable day indeed, when the man led us to hut where a man was lying and fast asleep, with a dead cock Beside him, ouch! We all screamed as if something bit us. Mr. gbenga quickly turned back and apologize for not informing us before we got to the place. â€Å"Oh! Am so sorry about that, that is one of the rituals usually performed on this memorable day, but we missed an important aspect of it, which is the man using his bare hands to tear the cock apart and drinking its blood before he went to sleep. † â€Å"hmmmmm drink the blood of a cock! † the children sounded, at this time my eyes were heavy for crying and I said, it is a memorable day indeed, today is today. Then, Mr. Gbenga looked down and touches me and said â€Å"Oh my pretty girl, is just fun, don’t be scared ok† Responded in a sobbing mood â€Å"ok† from there we went to the shrine. Hah! Ha! Mr. Gbenga cleared his throat and said â€Å"Here we are the shrine of Osun Osogbo† He told us the story about the shrine, but I closed my eyes firmly clung to my sister, to be honest, I did not hear the detail of the (shrine) of Osun Osogbo. All I heard was A memorable day5 â€Å"Hope you all have a wonderful and a memorable day, see you all next year and be good, thank you all. † Finally, we got back to the hostel, and it was time to tell the proprietress all that happened at the festival, she asked, â€Å"Hope you all enjoyed yourself today? As I told you are going to be fun and a memorable day† â€Å"Yes! † chorused the children, she continued, â€Å"Can you tell me what you saw today? † There were different hands up, and then she noticed that I was not racing up hand, she called my name and asked, â€Å"Ike, what is the matter, why are you not raising your hand? † At this moment all eyes were on me, and then a girl said, â€Å"Oh! She was crying all day because she was so scared†. Then, she pulled me closed to herself and said, â€Å"I know today has been a memorable day for you and everyone here†. This is an experience I can never forget in my life, socializing, educative, but scary, and it has been in my memory for the past thirty years now, indeed a memorable day.