Henry Fielding

(1707 - 1754)

1. Intro
Established the classical English novel ( => end of 19th c.) Novelist and dramatist Justice of the peace Main features of his works: humour & satire Lit. career started in 1728

2. Bio
Born April 22, 1707, Somerset, England Old, but poverty-stricken noble family The eldest of 12 children Classical education: 1. Eton College, 2. University of Leiden (classics and law) Lack of money, left Uni after 2 years London

3. Dramatist
Began writing for the theatre 1. Comedy of manners (verbal humour) 2. Farce (successful, keen observer, humour) e.g. Authors Farce and The Pleasures of the Town (1730) - (autobiographical) Luckless (young penniless author) ! Hint of Fieldings attitude towards novel characters (puppets)

3. Ballad operas (modelled on The Beggars Opera, John Gay, 1727) e.g. Don Quixote in England (1734) targeted at class system, aristocracy 4. Political satires (the most important Fs plays) The Whig Robert Walpole (PM), Fielding opposed e.g. Pasquin (1736) The Historical Register for the Year 1736 (1737)

4. Career Turning Point No. 1

1737 Theatrical Licencing Act (banning political satire on the stage) Fielding retires from the theatre, opts for law 3 year studies, barrister (1740), later magistrate Diligent, responsible, low income, philantropist cf. 1735 wifes inheritance, lack of money sense

5. Career Turning Point No. 2

1740 Richardson, Pamela, F. took to writing novels 1741 Shamela (parody, published under pen name) 1742 Joseph Andrews started as another parody, turned into an original novel of a new type The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr Abraham Adams, Written in Imitation of the Manner of Cervantes, Author of Don Quixote

6. Joseph Andrews
Joseph Andrews = Pamelas brother (handsome, virtuous, defying the attempts of Lady Booby, master B.s aunt) Abraham Adams (priest, simple & honest) Plotline fragmentary and less significant Focus on the adventures (moralizing, didactical)

 The preface to Joseph Andrews: Fieldings theory of novel Comic prose epic Classical literature models, esp. Homer Antiheroes, parody Not trying to hide the fictional nature of his works

 Features of Joseph Andrews: 1. Imitation of epic (narration, description, episodes) 2. Dialogue (dramatic, detailed description in remarks, footnotes) 3. Narrator openly present (in selecting & combining material; puppeteer) 4. Essays of general, literary character

7. Jonathan Wild
1743 The History of the Life of Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great Not fiction, strictly speaking, based on biography J.W. infamous gang leader, highwayman Draws parallel between J.W. and Robert Walpole, PM Satire of the Englands social system

8. Tom Jones
1749 The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling Masterpiece Structure: 18 books (going for 24, presumably, cf. Homer) Introductory essay on literature in every book Tom Jones & Sophia Western, plus friends and enemies Classicistic novel concept Social novel, picaresque novel

9. Amelia
1751 Amelia, last novel Experimenting with novel Similar to Richardson in the choice of character, theme, moralizing Amelia morally impeccable, husband Billy Booth problematic, but reformed in the end Narrator less present Social novel

10. Death in Lisbon

Deterioration of health in the 50s, in 1754 went to Portugal 2 months later died in Lisbon, the nastiest city in the world