Realism
means conceiving and representing the things as they are.
Henry Fielding is widely regarded as the first great realist in English novel.
He is among the few writers who, despite
the wideness of their scope are capable of observing the demands of reality
with perpetual ease. His novels hold up to view a representative picture of his
age. He is as authentic a chronicler of his day as Chaucer was of the later 14th
century.
It is true that Richardson and Defoe have some
claim to have brought realism to English fiction, it is Fielding who can be
called the real pioneer in realistic mode of novel writing. Fielding reacted against Richardson’s sentimentalism as
a falsifying influence on the study of reality, although he does not reject
sentimentalism altogether. “His desire”, says Cazamian, “is
to give sentiment its right place; but also to integrate it in an organic
series of tendencies where each contributes to maintain a mutual balance.”
Fielding’s
realism is called “universal
realism” as well as global. As Fielding says in the Preface to
“Joseph Andrews”:“I believe I might
aver that I have writ little more than I have seen.”
Fielding’s novels present the fairly comprehensive picture of
English society in 18th century. Though Fielding does not give us material
about the environment of the people, yet their mental and moral characteristics are
displayed with “power of realism”. The landlords,
landladies, doctors, lawyers, clergyman, postilions and coachmen – all go
towards making the picture of society as comprehensive as possible.
Fielding rejects burlesque and caricature, inspiring laughter with humour and
amazing realism. The novel is infused with compassion, comedy, and a heightened
sense of realism, which together turn into a vivid manifestation of the cankers
of the society.
The
eighteenth century society which appears on the pages of “Joseph Andrews” is
not very pleasant picture. It is marked by an astounding callousness and selfishness.
The insensitive hardness of
such a society is brilliantly portrayed by stage-coach passengers who are
reluctant to admit the naked wounded Joseph on account of various pretexts.
Only the poor postillion offers a great coat “his only garment”, and vows that he would rather remain in a
shirt than “suffer
a fellow-creature to lie in so miserable a condition.” The surgeon,
who is summoned to look at Joseph’s wounds at the inn, refuses to come out of
his comfortable bed for a mere foot passenger. Parson Trulliber,
who uses his Christian teachings to speak against beggars and refuses to lend
Adam even a few shillings, scornfully declares:
“I know what charity is better
than to give it to vagabonds.”
We have also flashes of kindness amongst this all repressive
inhumanity. Parson Adams, the postilion, the reformed Mr. Wilson, Betty the
chambermaid and four peddlers are only ones to act with generosity.
The society is divided into clear cut classes – the high and the low.
Dudden
notices a " gulf which seems to separate the classes–the ‘high people' from
the ‘low people..."
The two classes may have dealings with one
another in private, as Fielding tells us, but they scrupulously refuse to recognize each other in
public. The rich regard themselves as the better and superior in every sense
to the poor. Lady Booby could not think in her wildest dreams of admitting
Adams to her table, for she considers him to be badly dressed. Mrs. Slipslop
does not deign to recognize a ‘nobody’ like Fanny at an inn. While Fielding
exposes such behaviour to ridicule, we realize the hollow pretension of a
society which indulged in so much of affectation.
The professional classes in general show a marked inefficiency and
indifference. They do not take their work seriously. Parson
Barnabas, Parson Trulliber, the rural magistrate, the Lawyer Scout – all are
the illustration of the corrupt and selfish aristcracy of the day. Parson
Adams is merely one good being against so many bad clergymen.
In his novel, Fielding has concentrated more on the countryside. But the little
that he describes of town society is enough to give us its characteristics. The
wealthy society of the town shows a high degree of degeneracy. The story of
Mr. Wilson and Leonora as well as Joseph short stay in London provide us with
the clear idea about the vulgarity, degeneration of morals, the vanity and
hypocrisy which infested town society.
Fielding represents human nature as truthfully as he presents the society. Fielding
effuses realism into his characters and his vivid dialogues. He presents before
us the complete reality and does not intentionally ignore anything. In his
Preface Fielding writes: “I have scarce a character or action produced which
I have not taken from my own observations and experience.”
Fielding
does not project realistic picture of society for mere entertainment. He has
a moral
purpose behind the realism. To laugh making out of folly is his
professed aim. He satirizes people in order to reform them:“I have
endeavored to laugh at mankind, out to their follies and vices.”
Fielding
shows a broad
tendency of realism in “Joseph
Andrews”. Social, psychological, individual as well as moral reality can
be seen in the novel.
“As a
painter of real life, he was equal to Hogarth; as a mere observer of human
nature he was little inferior to Shakespeare.”
He not merely presented society but also criticized it in order to
make the world a better place to live in.