Joseph Andrews

Henry Fielding · 1707–1754 · England

Why it matters

Begun as a parody of Richardson's Pamela and grown into something larger, this comic road novel follows a virtuous footman and a good-hearted parson across England's highways, Fielding finding his own voice by mocking someone else's.

At a glance

Brisk mock-epic comedy, plainer and shorter than Fielding's later work.