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Joseph Andrews Book 1, Chapter 1 Summary

  • In case you ever had any doubts, Fielding's going to lay it down for you: examples are way more helpful than general rules.
  • According to Fielding, biographies are great, because you learn a lot from reading about other people's lives. Take, for example, the biographies of Pamela Andrews and Colley Cibber. Uh… Pamela's not a real person, you say? Pfft.
  • Lest you try to interrupt or contradict Fielding, he says, "Imma let you finish, but these two people are the most virtuous and chaste of all time."
  • In fact, it's a little-known fact that Pamela's amazing virtue helped her lesser-known brother, Joseph, keep his purity when he was surrounded by great temptation. Never heard of Joseph? Allow Fielding to enlighten you.