The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding

Some of his contemporaries found Fielding's mix of deep thoughts and ridiculous hijinks a bit too bizarre to take. Any novel that wraps up its own commentary about censorship on the stage with a plot twist involving a local maid having sex with a wandering clown probably isn't taking itself too seriously. He hates the condescending idea of 'low' (or low-brow) fiction, and totally embraces the concept that books should be both instructive and fun to read. In other words, Henry Fielding uses Tom Jones to try and get some of the snobbery out of fiction-writing. And he wants to prove that you can talk about justice, mercy, and virtue in a book with plenty of random adventures and broad sex jokes. He wants to show that novels can be funny, raunchy, truthful, and philosophical at heart. Fielding wants his novel to be exciting but not too farfetched.

It's not every book that comes with its own study guide-well played, Fielding!Īnd it's still exciting to read Tom Jones, because you can see Fielding working behind the scenes of the book, trying to figure out what novels should actually do from now on. You got it: this novel is Tom Jones.Īnd for any readers who might be worried that they won't be able to follow what Fielding is trying to do artistically with Tom Jones, he helpfully includes chapters of analysis of his own workas part of the novel. And not just any novel: an introduction to a particular mode of funny realism that would influence later writers such as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. Well, in the face of all of these obstacles, you don't give up. But the government frowns on your spicy satires and shuts you down. In fact, you write for the stage, and you have a lot of success. What do you do? You become a professional writer.

You've got a great education but not much else going for you. But sadly, your dad is also a gambler and you have no family money. You come from a fairly aristocratic family. Let's say that it's, oh, 1749, and you are author Henry Fielding.

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding