Analysis of the statement "I describe not men but manners, not individual but specie"in book 3 chapter no 1

Here the author praises literature that has fictional romantic characters with progressive human traits. These imaginative works are not bound to the particulars of history, and they can be “Histor[ies] of the World in general,” expressing its eternal truths. Accordingly, Fielding’s novel includes many instances of eternally recurring human types: the Lawyer, the Wit, the Prude; and Fielding clarifies that none of these figures corresponds to any one individual in real life. As he says, “I describe Men, not Manners; not an Individual, but a Species.” Fielding’s goal is “not to expose one pitiful Wretch” in real life but “to hold the Glass to thousands,” criticizing the common flaws of human nature. This distinction, says Fielding, makes the difference between the libeler and the satirist.