Henry fielding (1707-1754)

Henry Fielding was born in the family of General Fielding, a nobleman of moderate means. The poverty in the fam­ily ran so high that the future writer was compelled to leave the university after a year and a half of studies. He began to make his own living from his very youth and thus acquired a thorough knowledge of his country and its people from all walks of life.

Fielding began his literary career in 1728, and soon be­came one of the most popular playwrights in London.

Fielding mercilessly exposed English courts of law and the parliamentary system. He chastised the vices of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy—their hypocrisy, greed and cruelty and revealed the most striking aspects of contemporary society. Prime Minister Walpole, who was also victimized by Fielding's unrelenting and poignant satire, retaliated by introducing a censorship of the stage which put an end to Fielding's career as a dramatist. Deprived of this means of subsistence, Fielding studied law and acquired the profession of a lawyer, continuing to write at the same time.

Fielding's dramatic satire was directed against the bribe, the corruption of lawyers, fashionable physicians and dealt with personalities and types rather than issues. It was stinging enough to attract the special attention of the government.

The book The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749) is richly filled with incidents, scenes, and characters, of the English country-side and its capital. In addition Fielding deliberately develops in this book his theory of this new form which he called a "comic epic in prose", but which we recognize as the first fully conscious novel—the form which most adequately explored the possibilities of modern life. Fielding himself repeatedly stressed the novelty of the form he was creating.

Fielding was the first to introduce into the novel real characters in their actual surroundings. His heroes are vivid, full-blooded and humane people. In quest of happiness they travel about the country, and their various adventures are full of humour and sound cheerfulness.

The significance of the novel, and particularly of the char­acter of Tom Jones, lies in the fact that Fielding, as one of the pioneers of English realistic literature, portrays the life of men without adornment. By depicting Tom's character, the author's intention is to show that even a good man—and Jones is all of that—may commit grave mistakes and be easi­ly led astray, but by virtue of his innate goodness, he is not corrupted and eventually overcomes his weaknesses.

Fielding portrays Tom as a natural man: he is kind, hon­est and noble-hearted. It is not accidental that throughout the entire story he appears to the reader as a man without an ancestry—a common man. "Though he did not always act rightly, yet he never did otherwise without feeling and suf­fering for it." But though his heart is in the right place, his instincts are not always in his control.

A comprehensive, all embracing picture of the life of "Merry Old England", combined with understanding of human psychology and criticism of social evils, together with full-blooded characters, realistically depicted in brilliant, witty and highly artistic language, makes The History of Tom Jones a masterpiece of English literature.

His last novel Amelia was published in 1751. Fielding's works display boundless optimism, broad humanity and inexhaustible faith in man. All these features, plus the brilliant artistic language, make Fielding one of the greatest masters of the realistic novel.

Questions and tasks

1. Speak about the life and works of Henry Fielding.

2. What did Fielding mercilessly exposed in his works?

3. What was Fielding's dramatic satire directed against?

4. What is the significance of the novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling?

5. How did Fielding portray Tom Jones?

6. What do Fielding's works display?

7. Translate the following:

“They got about two miles beyond Barnet, and it was now the dusk of the evening, when a genteel-looking man, but upon a very shabby horse, rode up to Jones, and asked him whether he was going to London; to which Jones answered in the affirmative. The gentleman replied, I should be obliged to you, sir, if you will accept of my company; for it is very late, and I am a stranger to the road." Jones readily complied with the request; and on they travelled together, Henry Fielding).