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The effectiveness of the treatment of burlesques can be seen through two stories namely Henry Fieldings Joseph Andrews and Alexander Popes The Rape of Lock. These novels are two fine examples of incongruous imitation, the form that imitates the manner (form and style) and subject matter of a serious work. The serious work for Fielding was Samuel Richardson's novel Shame and the Greek epics (homer, Virgil) for Pope. Fielding and Popes books are from the same school that being satire, but although they are alike in burlesque, the form and story are not. For instance Burlesque used through mock epic poem is distinguished in Popes story which elaborates the form and the ceremonious style of the epic genre, but applies it to narrate at length the trivial subject matter, that being of Belinda the elegant and frivolous lady whose vanity is cherished. In contrast to this, Fieldings story is a comic epic in prose told through the eyes of a young man named Joseph where the story using burlesque stresses the element of self-discovery through the narrator, the characters say one thing and do another.
It is appearance versus reality. Their angle of satire is separated although both of them do connect the fictional world to the world of experience. Furthermore in The Rape of Lock, Alexander Popes view through the grandiose epic perspective is a quarrel between the belles and elegant of the day over the theft of a ladys curl of which the effectiveness of Pope satire comes from this seemingly minor event. The story includes such elements of traditional epic protocol, supernatural machinery, a voyage on a ship, a visit to the under world and a historically scaled battle between the sexes. Whereas Fieldings story is on less of a grandiose scale with only an innocent boy, it has no pomp but a story of how luck and unfortunate circumstance were thrown his way. The burlesque story was constructed as a reaction to and refutation of the ethical system used by Richardson, as shown by Henry Fielding using a unique way of portraying religion in his works.
Fielding loves portraying Christianity as violent. Josephs friend, Parson Adams show his readiness to take part in any fights seconds this. Pope and Fieldings stories are about peoples eccentricities where Fielding particularly is presenting moral examples; the reader is playfully frustrated by the narrators story, but ultimately convinced by the serious ethical intent. Fielding shows us the means of de-mystification; it is an exercise in reflection and self-awareness, to look at the ridiculous of a situation and people. Likewise Pope wants us to recognize that is partly because the main character has been educated and trained to act this way. The society as whole is as much to blame as she is.
Popes phrases are to expose an absurd attention to exhibition of pride and ostentation. Pope and Fielding show the pompousness of people. For example Pope ludicrously overstates the importance of the whole affair, he succeeds, paradoxically enough, in making the whole thing seem ridiculous and funny but also somehow tragic. Similarly Fielding who uses Parson Adams, who looks after Joseph, is shocked to learn that a fellow priest would not lend him any money, which was completely against the tenets of Christianity in regards to helping your brother. Fielding creates more inhospitable Christian characters, which to him seem like the most hypocritical beings.
With Fielding you are led where you as a reader have to distinguish the person who pretends out of vanity or from the truly great woman / man . Likewise where Pope is concerned we have the vanity of woman whose pomp and circumstance are to make her a great woman, although both stories make you see the stupidity of it all. Moreover Fielding has the long and arduous task convincing his readers of stature of Joseph or the value for male chastity in general. A lot of us begin a long way from attitudes of Joseph, and Fielding seems to encourage us. His task in rebuilding Joseph into a proper heroic figure is less challenging than that of reconstructing his reader. As much as Fielding is showing male virtue instead we see Popes misogyny is especially potent when he equates female beauty with deception and dissuasion from ideals, such as religion.
In summary Pope makes us aware of the fact that not only the participants in the dram but also the rest of humanity, including Pope himself and certainly his readers, are somehow ridiculous and funny and tragic too. Pope uses the literary conventions of epic poetry such as stating of the theme, the invocation of the Muse, the asking of the question, in the middle of things, the introduction or intervention of supernatural beings, the epic catalogue, and the decent of man. Similarly Fielding shows the abuse of power by individual, classes and humanity, also inhumanity of individuals and society. To conclude, the effectiveness of these two great stories of self-reflection and at the forefront of burlesque stand to show how people, how pompous they can be and how reality is taken away.
Pope and fielding have successfully educated the readers and how you can come to understand human nature better. neil
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