JOSEPH ANDREWS by Henry Fielding

Characters

Joseph Andrews –              Handsome 17 year old boy

Lady Tittle –                        a lady of high status

Lady Tattle –                       a lady of high status

Book I: Chapter 4

What happened after their Journey to London

Lady Thomas Booby brings Joseph Andrews to London where he spents lot of time in learning music and excels in it.  His hair style and dress are changed to suit the cosmopolitan lifestyle of London.  Nevertheless nobody is able to change his flawless character, and he remains as pure as he was in the countryside.

The appearance and inner quality of Joseph Andrews make him pleasing to the eyes of Lady Booby, and she goes walking with him regularly in the morning to be close with him and often holds his hand, sometimes pressing hard pretending to need support from losing her balance while walking or alighting from coach.  She also permits him to enter her bedroom to deliver messages.  This further gives her the chance to see him.

Walking in Hyde Park goes on regularly for Lady Booby for a long time.  But Lady Tittle comes to know about this half year later. One day while Lady Tittle and Lady Tattle go in their coach, Lady Tittle notices Lady Thomas Booby walking arm in arm with Joseph Andrews. When she expresses her surprise, Lady Tattle says that the whole town knows about her closeness with Joseph Andrews for half year.

Even though people were gossiping about Lady Booby, Joseph Andrews was free from any damage to his reputation as there was no decline in his respect for his mistress.

Vocabulary

Page 12

1.Connoisseur – Noun

Meaning: ability to make fine assessment in fine arts or taste

Example – He applied most of his leisure hours to music, in which he greatly improved himself; and became so perfect a Connoisseur.

Page 13

2. Leered – Verb

Meaning –looked at someone with sexual motive or mischief

3. Sully –Noun

Meaning –dishonour or blemish

Example – she admitted him to deliver messages at her bedside in a morning, leered at him at table, and indulged him in all those innocent freedoms which women of figure may permit without the least sully of their virtue.

4. Engrossed – Verb

Meaning: occupied the attention of someone

Example: had it not been stopt by two fresh reputations which were published the  day afterwards, and engrossed the whole talk of the town.