30 Henry Fielding

Mr. Mohaiminul Islam Islam

About the Module:

The module tries to explore the “Life and Oeuvre of Henry Fielding”. The study also tries to give details of the eighteen century in literature. Besides, it also explicates the contemporary writers and their genre. Further, it will look at how Fielding demonstrates the contemporary issues in his plays and novels. It will also look at how he portrays romantic comedy, sexuality, humour, satire and morality in his writings. In addition, the study concentrates on the comments of eighteen, nineteen and twenty century’s writers in order to critically judge the activities of Henry Fielding. The study also addresses how Fielding stages his dramas at the theatre. Moreover, the paper tries to discuss the summary of some dramas and novels to find out the theme and structure of his writings. Finally, it will discuss the conclusion and summary of the paper.

Introduction:

Henry Fielding is an eighteenth century English writer and the magistrate who established the mechanisms of the modern novel through his works. He was born near Glastonbury in southern England and grew up on his parents’ farm in Dorset in 1707. He died in 1754. He is known as an English novelist and dramatist. His first-rate education at Eton College endowed him with the knowledge of classical literature that would influence his conception of the novel. For his classical knowledge of literature, his cousin Lady Mary Wortley Montagu advised him to go London and embarked the literary career. In 1728, he went London to embark his literary career, writing poems and plays that satirized artifice, sham, and political corruption. Later, he went to the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. He tried to do his classical study there but it was ended when his father discontinued his allowance. After that, in 1730, he came back to the London to manage the theatres and writing plays. It is possible to start his old work again because his play Tom Thumb is still-famous among them. During this time, he starts writing the novels. He wrote the biography of the character Wilson in Joseph Andrews. His dissipated life ended when he elopes with Charlotte Cradock in November 1734. Cradock is the woman whose image would inspire the heroines of his later novels. And now he becomes famous for his rich, earthy humour, satirical prowess, and the picaresque novels.

Augustan Age:

In English literature, the eighteen century is roughly called the ‘Augustan Age’. It is also called the Age of ‘Classical’ and ‘Neo-Classical’ in English literature. Generally, the eighteen century is divided into two literary ages, first one is ‘The Age of Pope’ (1700-1745) and the second one is ‘The Age of Johnson’ (1745-1798). At the beginning, the term ‘Augustan’ is used and applied to the English literature as a phrase of high praises (especially political leaders). That’s why this age also called ‘indispensable century’ (Jain, 2000, p 33). However, both parts of eighteen century remarked on English literature. W. H. Hudson said “in both cases, men of letters were largely dependent upon powerful patrons. In both cases, a critical spirit prevailed. In both cases, the literature produced by a thoroughly artificial society was a literature, not of free creative effort and inspiration, but of self-conscious and deliberate art” (Jain, 2000, p 33). The 18th century is also the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. At that time the English literature explored themes of social upheaval, reversals of personal status, political satire, geographical exploration and the comparison between the supposed natural state of man and the supposed civilized state of man. In the spirit of the Age of Enlightenment, Edmund Burke expresses every confidence in the cumulative progress of the human condition in his A Vindication of Natural Society (1756). He says:

“The Fabrick of Superstition has in this our Age and Nation received much ruder Shocks than it had ever felt before; and through the Chinks and Breaches of our Prison, we see such Glimmerings of Light, and feel such refreshing Airs of Liberty, as daily raise our Ardor for more. The Miseries derived to Mankind from Superstition, under the Name of Religion, and of ecclesiastical Tyranny under the Name of Church Government, have been clearly and usefully exposed.”

(Bruke, 1756, p. 8)

However, there are many dramatists and novelists who represent the satire of political leaders and apolitical people and their poor situations in their writings. Most historians believe “Eighteen Century” was intended as satire, but some others disagree. For example, some historians argue that writers of the age wrote dramas and novels in earnest but later wished to disavow it for political reasons.

Contemporary Writers and Their Genre:

We can say that the novel as a literary genre began at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) is introduced this genre in the world of English literature. He is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe. It is noted that he is one of the earliest proponents of the novel. That’s why he is also known as one of the founders of the English novel. He developed the form of his writings with the help of Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson’s concept. Mostly his writings are based on the political issues and problems with authorities. He used to target William Henry of Orange. For his political opponents, he had to stay jail. Later, he starts writing a novel where he had tried to represent the morality and spirituality of seventeen century’s British society. After Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders (1722) is an important work in the development of the novel. This novel has challenged a common perception of femininity and gender role in the British Society. Moreover, in the novel, the author introduces the Newgate Prison. Later, the nineteenth century novelists are influenced by Defoe’s works and they introduce Newgate novel in the late 1820s. The Newgate novel is a kind of novel where the thought of novelists glamorized with the lives of criminals. Lots of Newgate novels have been written in the 19th century, such “Thomas Gaspey’s History of George Godfrey (1828), Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s Paul Clifford (1830) and Eugene Aram (1832), William Harrison Ainsworth’s Rookwood (1834),” and so on (https://web.archive.org/web/20070928044804/http://www.bloomsbury.com/ARC/detail.aspentryid=108582&bid=9). Along with that, Defoe’s final novel Roxana: the Fortunate Mistress (1724) has also shown us how the author has been drawing a fictional character and mixes it with a real life. However, in the novel, the narrator narrates the moral and spiritual decline of a high society courtesan.

Samuel Richardson (1689-1761) is a prominent writer of eighteen century in English literature. He is an inventor of the epistolary novel. Epistolary is a form of a letter, diary, blog, and so on. And the epistolary novel is written in the form of a series of letters. He is famous for his three epistolary novels. They are Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady (1748) and The History of Sir Charles Grandison (1753). In Pamela, he shows the feminist view. Approximately, he is the first male writer who rejects traditional views of women and supports the new and changing role of women in society. Richardson uses epistolary for his writings because he can provide at least the flow of consciousness of his characters, and pioneer in showing how his characters’ sense of class differences and their awareness of the conflict between sexual instincts and the moral code created dilemmas that could not always be resolved (Sale, 2016).

Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) is an Irish born English novelist and humorist. His first novel is The Political Romance (written in 1759 and published in 1769). The novel can be considered of ‘Roman à clef’ or ‘a cronique scandaleuse’ (Madeleine de Scudery). Some critics say it is a mock epic parody which describes the satire and conflicts with the York Minster. But, this work had been burned by people because he mocked their sentiments. Later, he wrote The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman or Tristram Shandy (Nine volumes published in 1759-1767). It is his best comic novel. He is well known for this work. A major influence on Tristram Shandy is Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel (“Laurence Sterne”, The Guardian. 22 July 2008, and Retrieved 28 January 2018). The novel is concerned with domestic upsets or misunderstandings, which find humour in the opposing temperaments of characters.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547?-1616) is a Spanish writer. He is widely known as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world’s pre-eminent novelists. His masterpiece Don Quixote (in English 1612 and 1620) has been translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_de_Cervantes). His works are also based on humour and satire. Don Quixote is a satire of the romances of chivalry. Although it was very popular in Cervantes’ time, had become an object of ridicule among more demanding critics.

Apart from that, Francois Voltaire (1694-1778) is also well known for his writings on adventured novels. He is simply known by Voltaire. He is a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. He is famous for his wit, his attacks on the established Catholic Church and Christianity as a whole, and his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire). Moreover, he rejects the tradition of narrating diplomatic and military events and emphasizes the customs, social history and achievements in the arts. Approximately Voltaire didn’t write any novels but his historical books and plays are remarked him in English literature.

Tobias George Smollett (1721-1771) is a Scottish poet and author. He is best known for his picaresque novels. Such as, he has written The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748) and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) to portray the realistic elements of comedy and satire. Later, lots of novelists get influence from his writings. He portrays in his novels the hypocrisy, greed, deceit, and the snobbery peculiar to the times, especially among the upper and middle classes. Besides novels, he has also written many poems and plays on basis of humour and satire.

All the above writers are the forerunners of the development of the novel genre. Still today, the people are excited to read the subject related to their day to day life experience. Therefore, the novel is only a piece of realistic prose fiction which represents characters in real life events and situations. Moreover, the novel is a feasible form of entertainment. That’s why it has a large audience and its spread all over the land in country-houses. It can be said such an important factor behind the growth of the novel as a new form of art. However, there are some literary terms which are the form of the novel has been written in the eighteen century. Some related terms I would like to discuss below. I hope these terms will help the readers to understand the reason for developing the novel.

Picaresque Novel:

According to O. F. Best (1963), the word pícaro first starts to appear in Spain with the current meaning in 1545, though at the time it had no association with literature (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picaresque_novel). Picaresque in the English language refers to an episodic style of fiction that is dealing the adventures of a rogue and dishonest character but that character appears as a hero of the story. It is also relating the shady details of his everyday experiences in autobiographical form. Thomas Nash (1567-1601) had written the first picaresque novel in English. The Unfortunate Traveller: or, the Life of Jack Wilton is the first picaresque novel published in 1594. In the novel, Jack Wilton is standing with the real-life Elizabethan spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. In addition, Francois Voltaire’s Candide (1759), Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote (Two volumes, in 1605 and 1615), Tobias George Smollett’s The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748) and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones (1749), Joseph Andrews (1742) and so on are also the picaresque novel.

In twenty and twenty first centuries, there are many writers who combine the influence of picaresque novel with the modern spy novel. Such as Rudyard Kipling’s Kim (1901), Pío Baroja’s Zalacain the Adventurer (1909), Norman Lindsay’s The Magic Pudding (1918), Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March (1953) and so on are used the picaresque format in their writings.

Bildungsroman:

The German word Bildungsroman means “a novel of formation”. According to Lynch (1999), Bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (Lynch, 1999). Actually, during the journey of the story, the protagonist gains maturity gradually and with difficulty. Usually, the plot of the story depicts a conflict between the protagonist and the values of society. For instance, Fielding’s Tom Jones is showing how Tom Jones psychologically and morally gets growth from childhood to adulthood. Beside it, there are many writers, who have written in the form of this genre such as Francois Voltaire’s Candide (1759), Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759), Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Emile, or On Education (1763), Christoph Martin Wieland’s Geschichte des Agathon (1767), Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1795–96). Moreover, we can also say Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719) is ‘a novel of formation’.

Furthermore, the genre is evolved from the folk tales of a dunce or a youngest child going out in the world to seek their fortune (Bildungsroman, Wikipedia, retrieved: 28th January 2018). It has many variations and subgenres which focus on the growth of an individual such as Entwicklungsroman (“development novel”), Erziehungsroman (“education novel”), and Künstlerroman (“artist novel”). These subgenres are mostly found in 20th and 21st century novels. D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers (1913), Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees (2001), John Green’s Looking for Alaska (2005), Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian (2007) and so on are well known Bildungsroman novels.

Roman clef:

The term and concept of ‘roman á clef’ are attributed by Madeleine de Scudery in the 1600’s. She wrote many popular tales that alluded to public figures and politicians but often set in the Orient with the characters being given names of mythological or historical figures (https://www.biblio.com/blog/2011/06/literary-definition-roman-a-clef/). “Roman à clef” is a French key that is used in the novel of Eighteen century to portray the real life of the well-known person as a disguise or fictional character. In the novel, the novelists represent actual events figure under the disguise of the real person. For Example, in the Tom Jones, Henry Fielding portrays the character Squire Allworthy as a disguise of Ralph Allen.

In the 20th century, it has evolved from receiving the sort of serious literary criticism because nowadays the celebrities are driven the culture. In this era, Somerset Maugham has little developed the genre. In his Moon and Sixpence (1919), He relates the life of the painter Paul Gauguin. Another work Cakes and Ale (1930) is considered a ‘roman a clef’ because it is talking about the life of Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole by the fictional characters Driffield and Kear.

Fielding’s Works:

The main focus of the paper is to write on life and oeuvre of Henry Fielding. Hence I would like to deal mainly with his major plays and novels. Such as, his Love in Several Masques, Rape upon Rape, The Author’s Farce, The Tragedy of Tragedies, The Modern Husband, The Mock Doctor, The Covent-Garden Tragedy, Don Quixote in England, The Historical Register for the Year 1736, The Fathers: Or, the Good-Natur’d Man will be looking forward to this paper. On the other side the paper will look at his popular novels like Joseph Andrews, Tom Jones, Amelia, The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great, Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon, A Journey from This World to the Next, and his shorter satirical work An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews. All of these works contain a strong moral message, but the moral message is not entirely consistent and is presented in various ways. Along with that, the paper will try to explicate how Fielding portrays the concept of virtue, the philosophy of history and the romantic comedy.

Themes and Characteristic Features of Writings:

One of the central themes in his writings deals with the conflict between parental authority and individual choice in matters of love and marriage. The study is looking to explore the ways in which Fielding portrays the relationship and dialectic between love and free will in his writings. Fielding also shows the contrast with the concept of Virtue espoused by his characters. He says virtue is as an action rather than thought. His works also attempt to break down numerous boundaries. He had broken down the impossible stereotypical categorization. In terms of genre, he cannot decide whether his works are a “philosophical History,” a “Romance,” or an “epic-comic prosaic poem.” His fictional characters cannot be distinguished by “masculine” or “feminine” traits: in his works, both men and women fight and cry. That’s why the researchers called him the founder of a new ‘Province of Writing’.

However, he upholds the value of natural art in his characters; he uses artifice himself in the construction of his novels. For instance, he often closes his chapters of oeuvres by hinting to the readers what is to follow in the next chapter. In this way, he prevents the readers from suspending our disbelief and giving ourselves up to the “art” of the narrative. Instead, he constantly entices us to reflect on and review the process of construction. In such a way, he puts the readers in tension between art and artifice. Further, Fielding was not only talked about ‘too much sex’, ‘too much drinking’ and ‘too much romantic comedy’, he also talked about the morality and ethics. In addition, he influences the morality in his writings by portraying the gender issues. He emphasizes different moral traits for men and women. He explores a universal moral code in place in his works. For example, Tom Jones is the happy ending novel in which it has suggested that Tom can come back home and redeem himself for his ethical mistakes.

His Plays:

“As a playwright, Fielding has to be considered a very odd duck, and he poses an exceptionally diverse set of challenges for his editor” (Hume, 2012, p. 448). In short, as a playwright, he is experimental, often occasional, farcical, and chirpily irreverent. His plays do not need much explication. The plays offer little scope for analytic literary criticism. The plays are sufficiently allusive, demanded of their time to the audiences. However, the plays also place serious demands on an editor as well. Fielding first produced Love in Several Masques in February 1728. It was the start of his career in theatre. Although his first produced play was going on only a few nights. Later, in 1728, Fielding enrolled at the University of Leyden, but he did not abandon the theatre. He held on his writing. But, lack of allowance from his father, he had to quit his study. Later he returned to the London and joined the theatre again. After coming back, he produced The Temple Beau in 1730. By the time of his return, he already had written three plays. They are Don Quixote in England, The Wedding-Day and The Temple Beau. Among these plays, only The Temple Beau was accepted for the stage. Between 1728 and 1737 he had written almost twenty-five plays and staged them at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. Among them, six plays were full-length comedies and the others short farces, burlesques, and ballad-operas. And I would like to discuss some of his important plays to understand his aim of his writing career.

Love in Several Masques:

It is his first play. It is staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in February 1728. “The play was quite moderately received, and the response of the audience was satisfactory” (https://books.google.co.in/books/about/A_Quick_Guide_to_Love_In_Several_Masques.html ?id=Wz5UCAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y). The play comically exposes three lovers who continue to try to pursue their individual beloveds. The plot of this play is quite traditional in which the playwright follows the tradition of Restoration theatre. In the play, there are three female characters, three respectable and three non-respectable male characters, and three minor or side characters. The play is traditional comic drama in which it incorporates the morality. The major theme of the play is all about the love relationship. And the love relation disguises and courtship with a discussion. The main focus of the playwright is to expose the behaviour of males while they deal with love and marriage. In the play, the playwright clearly shows that a gentleman has proved his worth to win the heart of his queen and to be able to win the heart of his beloved in marriage. On the other hand, non-respectable man masks his reality and tries to get pleasure from his beloved. However, Henry Fielding tries to mock the prevailing requirements of a marriage in the play and criticism of various problem of London society has come to the audiences. That’s why some researchers say Fielding’s ideas and thoughts are sometimes correct and sometimes lacking in his writings. In addition, Harold Pagliaro says “Fielding’s satire on the marriage market, however, is effecting, if not biting” (Pagliaro, 1998, p. 58-59). Edwin Percy Whipple says on this play in his review of a collection of Fielding’s works, that “a well-written imitation” that has “smart and glib rather than witty” dialogue even though it contains “affected similes and ingenious comparisons, which the author forces into his dialogue to make it seem brilliant”(Whipple, 1849, p. 47-48). However, Henry Fielding tries to present his personal feelings on morality and virtue in this play.

The Temple Beau:

It is first performed in January 1730, at Goodman’s Fields after it is rejected by the Theatre Royal. In comparison to other plays at Goodman’s Fields, this play gets much success at that time. It is his fourth play that he wrote and finished it by the end of 1729. The plot of this play is all about a young law student who gives up his studies to seek pleasure. He uses people and wishes to marry a girl simply for money. It is straightforward, unlike Love in Several Masques. In this play, Fielding cares more about revealing hypocrisy than with a discussion of the nature of love and lovers. According to Harold Pagliaro when the play comes to the matters of gender, it expresses a view of equality between the sexes that manifests in marriage. The play reveals that there are different standards for the genders even though the male characters may express concerns about these double standards (Pagliaro, 1998, p. 62). F. Homes Dudden declared in his “Henry Fielding: his Life, Works and Times” that:

The Temple Beau as “a fairly good comedy of intrigue” and says that “The plot of the comedy, though rather too complicated, is more skilfully constructed than that of Love in Several Masques, and some of the situations are diverting. One of the best things in the piece is the interview between the deluded Sir Harry […] young Wilding […] and Pincet”

(Dudden, 1966, p. 46)

However, the modern critics generally view this play as an improvement in playwriting of Henry Fielding when it is still considering having several weaknesses in his writings.

The Modern Husband:

It is staged in February 1732 at the Royal Theatre, Drury Lane. The plot of this play focuses on a man who sells his wife for money. This play is like Thomas Hardy’s novel The Mayor of Casterbridge. But, in this play, the protagonist Mr Modern sues for damages by adultery when the money is insufficient. The play also covers the stories of other couples and affairs and romantic pursuits. The main theme of the play is all about the extra-marital relationship. In the play, women characters are used as an object. That’s why the playwright criticises vice and society through his play. In addition, he also criticised the law allowing a husband to sue for damages when his wife committed adultery (Wikipedia). This kind of incidents occurred regularly at the time of Henry Fielding. However, there are many critics give many responses on this play. Such as Tiffany Potter declares in his “Honest Sins: Georgian Libertinism & the Plays & Novels of Henry Fielding” that “The Modern Husband as “Fielding’s most serious attempt at social commentary within the five-act comedic form, with situations, characters, and social states resembling those to come in Amelia” (Potter, 1999, p. 4).

The Mock Doctor or The Dumb Lady Cur’d:

It is first performed in June 1732 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The play is staged by replacing his The Covent-Garden Tragedy. The play is an Anglicised adaptation of Molière’s Le Medecin malgre Lui and is contemporary to the translation by John Watts in the Select Comedies of Molière (Hume 1988 p. 136). The plot of the play is all about Gregory, who is pretending to be a doctor at the request of his wife. Actually, Gregory is a simple woodcutter by trade, but his wife forces him to take on the role of doctor. That’s why He disguises himself as Dr Ragou, a Frenchman. Once he goes to treat Sir Jasper’s daughter, Charlotte. She pretends to be unable to speak because she feels that this is the only way to avoid marrying that boy who is chosen by her father. Actually, she wants to marry a boy whom she loves. However, while he is treating Charlotte, his disguise is able to fool his wife and he begins to pursue her as a Frenchman. But, finally, Dorcas is able to recognize him that it is her husband in the disguise. The play is unlike Fielding’s other plays, there is no serious moral lesson or purpose instead, it is a pure comedy. The critics Robert Hume believes that “Fielding benefited greatly from taking over the well-crafted frame of Molière’s play, but what he provided by way of adaptation and additions he handled with great skill” (Hume, 1988, p. 138).

His Novels:

Almost a decade of the first half of the eighteenth century, Henry Fielding was the most prominent and the most productive playwright in England. In 1737 his theatrical career was stopped by the Licensing Act, which was aimed at the Walpole government at Fielding personally. In later years appeared two more five-act comedies which he had written during this early period (Goggin, 1952, p. 769). In 1741, Fielding started writing novels. His first big success is an anonymous parody of that novel An Apology for the Life of Mrs Shamela Andrews. His purposes of writing novels are to make the parody of authorities. He announced in the preface of his Joseph Andrews that:

A kind of writing which I do not remember to have seen hitherto attempted in our language.” In this new kind of writing, which Fielding called a “comic epic poem in prouse, he creatively blended two classical traditions: that of the epic, which had been poetic, and that of the drama, but emphasizing the comic rather than the tragic. Another distinction of Joseph Andrews and of the novels to come was the use of everyday reality of character and action as opposed to the fables of the past.

(“Henry Fielding Facts”, Retrieved 22 December 2017.)

However, his novels basically focus on the dichotomous or contradictory application and characterization of forensic rhetoric. The readers must read his novels as an emblem of allegory, or romance in which character and plot illustrate abstractions. Such novels we would like to discuss in this paper.

An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews:

An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews has originally published anonymously in 1741. It is also known as the name of Shamela. It is a satirical burlesque novella. It is first published under the name of Mr Conny Keyber. Fielding never admitted to writing the work, but it is widely considered to be his (Hawley, 1999). According to Judith Hawley, a pirated edition was printed in Dublin in 1741 as well. Reprint editions have subsequently appeared as texts for academic study (Hawley, 1999). However, the novel directly attacks Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740). The scholars argue that Fielding’s writing is related to the contemporary issue but Richardson is composed in epistolary form. In the novel, Fielding makes fun of the original work’s narrative method and pretence at moralizing. The heroine of Pamela is a paragon of virtue. She is a servant girl who resists the sexual advances of her master. Richardson’s purpose in the novel is to “cultivate the principles of virtue and religion in the minds of the youth of both sexes (https://www.enotes.com/topics/henry-fielding-shamela). On the other hand, the heroine of Shamela is an artful minx who uses her “Virtue” to build in the world. By criticizing at every aspect of Richardson’s method and message, Fielding shows the hypocrisy of contemporary mores (https://www.enotes.com/topics/henry-fielding-shamela). However, the main aim of the work is to make a parody of Richardson’s work. According to the E-Note on “Henry Fielding Shamela Critical Essays” the main theme of the novel is:

As a parody of Pamela, Shamela aims to overturn what Fielding considered to be the sententious moralizing of Richardson’s novel. Richardson claims that Pamela is a model of virtue, whose chastity is rewarded, but Fielding in his novel equates morality with expediency, as Shamela behaves as she does in order to secure material comforts for herself.

(https://www.enotes.com/topics/henry-fielding-shamela).

Joseph Andrews:

Joseph Andrews is first published in 1742. It is also known as The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams. It is all about the story of a good-natured footman’s adventures on the road home from London with his friend and mentor, the absent-minded parson Abraham Adams. The protagonist of the novel is Joseph Andrews who served the Lady Booby but loved the little Fanny. The novel has four books. Every book has the same plot. However, it is called a picaresque novel in structure because the novel’s plotline is similar to the one-line structure of picaresque fiction. In the novel, the novelist represents the ironies, unmasking, conflicts, and reversals. The main theme of the novel is all about the vulnerability and power of goodness. In this novel, Fielding also talks about the human nature and the need for control of sexuality. For instance, in the first book of the novel, Lady Booby would take walks with Joseph in the park, and spend a lot of time alone with him. Then, not even one week her husband’s death, she invites him in her room to talk about the woman. At the time of their conversation in the room, she lifts his head because she would like to tell him that under the bed cover she is naked. In the novel, Henry Fielding, notes “I have trusted myself with a man alone, naked in bed; suppose you should have any wicked intentions upon my honour, how should I defend myself?” (https://schoolworkhelper.net/henry-fieldings-joseph-andrews-summary-analysis/). In addition, the novel also talks about the charity and religion, Providence, town and country, affectation, vanity, and hypocrisy, chastity, class and birth and so on. Further, the novel was adapted for the screen in 1977 by Tony Richardson, Allan Scott and Chris Bryant. Samuel Jackson Pratt is written the novel first and fourth books for the stage performance in 1778 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

The Female Husband:

The Female Husband is anonymously published in 1745. The novel represents a real story of Mrs Mary Hamilton. According to Fielding, he has taken the story from her own mouth since her confinement. But many critics say Fielding has given a different account of Mrs Hamilton’s life. Terry Castle claims that Fielding had his information “from the mouth” of Mrs Hamilton herself. But, it is likely that he never met the woman he satirized in his work (Castle, 1982, p. 604). Historian Louis Crompton describes this novel is as probably “one part fact to ten parts fiction” (Crompton, 2006, p. 476). In addition, he says “as far as is known, Hamilton was in truth only prosecuted for fraudulently marrying Price: there is no record of any other prosecution, whether any previous marriages ever occurred, or if they were merely a product of local gossip and rumour remains unknown” (Crompton, 2006, p. 476). However, the story of the novel is all about a notorious 18th-century case of fraud and female cross-dressing, in which Hamilton, under the name of Charles, duped a woman into a supposed marriage (Baker, 1959).

Tom Jones:

Tom Jones is first published in 1749 in London. It is a comic novel. It is also known as The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. It is also a bildungsroman and a picaresque novel. “Tom Jones is generally regarded as Fielding’s greatest book and as a very influential English novel” (Drabble, 1998). The novel’s events occupy eighteen books. The purpose of the novel is to explore the human nature. The novel opens with the introduction of wealthy Squire Allworthy and his unmarried sister Bridget’s wealthy estate in Somerset. The main theme of the novel is to understand the contrast between Tom Jones’s good nature and his half-brother Blifil’s hypocrisy. Here Tome Jones is a bastard child of Jenny Jones. Jenny is an unmarried mother; she works in the household of a local schoolmaster. The people used to say, the schoolmaster would be Tom Jones’s father. But, Jenny didn’t accept this rumour in front of Squire Allworthy. Later, Allworthy adopts her child and give her some money to escape from the county. Not only that the novel also focuses on the themes of virtue, hypocrisy and just villainy, sometimes tempered by repentance. However, Fielding himself called Tom Jones is a “comic epic poem in prose,” though others say it is “essentially a comic romance” (https://www.enotes.com/topics/tom-jones). According to E. Taiwo Palmer, “Tom Jones is the perfection of Fielding’s art because it is the novel in which matter and manner are most completely interrelated” (Palmer, 1971, p. 497). Besides, the novelist shows three major structures in every six books in the novel. The first part of the novel is set in the Paradise Hall of Squire Allworthy in Somersetshire. The second part is set on the road in the London to complete and recounting Tom’s adventures. And finally, third party is set in the London. At the conclusion, the novelist shows Tome Jones is a orphan and antihero of the picaresque novel.

Amelia:

Amelia is first published in 1751. It is his last novel. It is a sentimental novel. The novel talks about the life of Amelia and Captain William Booth after they get married. It basically focuses on the theme of marriage and feminine intelligence. It is a domestic novel. It is taking place largely in London during 1733. It represents the hardships suffered by a young couple who newly married. They got married against wishes of Amelia’s mother. Captain William Booth is a young army officer. They run away to London. Samuel Richardson declares in February 1752 that the novel “is as dead as if it had been published forty years ago, as to sale” (Sabor, 2007, p. 95). George Borrow describes in his The Bible in Spain (1843) that:

Let travelers devote one entire morning to inspecting the Arcos and the Mai das Agoas, after which they may repair to the English church and cemetery, Pere-la-chaise in miniature, where, if they be of England, they may well be excused if they kiss the cold tomb, as I did, of the author of Amelia, the most singular genius which their island ever produced, whose works it has long been the fashion to abuse in public and to read in secret.

(Borrow 1843 p. 8)

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Fielding’s dramatic output is wildly varied. He might well never have turned to fiction if the Licensing Act of 1737 had not been put out him from the businesses. In a very short time, he wrote five essentially traditional comedies which might not get great merit or success. But, he attempted serious social and moral satire in his dramas, which had a good initial run but was never revived. In addition, he wrote Don Quixote in England (734) to dedicate the opposition Whig leader Lord Chesterfield. Fielding is best known for his topical burlesques and satires play Tom Thumb (1730). It is successfully recast as The Tragedy of Tragedies (1731), The Author’s Farce (1730), Pasquin (1736), and The Historical Register (1737), in which he only enjoyed a long time in the theatre. However, he also continuously spreads his political views in satirical articles and newspapers in the late 1730s and early 1740s. Then he becomes the chief writer for the Whig government of Henry Pelham (Wikipedia of Henry Fielding, 25/12/2017). Moreover, Fielding also explicates the irony in his writings. According to Palmer, there seems to be some justification for a return to the study of Fielding’s irony in his writing, for the treatment of the subject hitherto has been inadequate (Palmer, 1971, p. 497). The nature of irony is the difference between the author’s intended meaning and what the words on the page actually convey. ‘Professor A. R. Humphreys in a major essay makes some brilliant comments on the nature of Fielding’s irony in general but refers only occasionally to Tom Jones, the essay being largely devoted to Jonathan Wild” in 1743 (Palmer, 1971, p. 497).

Summary of the Module:

The paper has mainly focused on the life and oeuvre of Henry Fielding, which can help the students and readers to understand the basic things of the eighteen century’s writings and the political situation of London. Along with that, it has also discussed contemporary writer and their interested genre such as a picaresque novel, bildungsroman, and roman á clef to understand the story of real man’s life and their activities. Further, the paper has examined the issues of gender, where the women have been seriously discriminated by males. Although the moral sense of Henry Fielding has found the equality among men and women. It is very helpful for the students and readers, those who want to understand the fact of the Licensing Act of 1737 because Henry Fielding has turned his theatre life to fictional life at that time. The module also has explained the theme and characteristic features of Fielding’s works. Finally, the paper has concluded to make a critical comment on Fielding’s concepts of his parody and satirical ideas in his writings which will widen the ideas of the students and readers.

Reference

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• Borrow, George. The Bible in Spain. Vol 1. London: John Murray, 1843.
• Castle, Terry. “Matters Not Fit to Be Mentioned: Fielding’s The Female Husband.” ELH, vol. 49, no. 3, 1982, pp. 602–622
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• Dudden, F. Homes. Henry Fielding: his Life, Works and Times. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, 1966.
• Drabble, Margaret. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. (2nd) revised ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1998. pp. 982–983.
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• Potter,  Tiffany.  “Honest  Sins:  Georgian  Libertinism  &  the  Plays  &  Novels  of  Henry Fielding.” London: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1999.
• Palmer, E. Taiwo. “Irony in ‘Tom Jones.’” The Modern Language Review, vol. 66, no. 3, 1971, pp. 497–510.
• Sabor, Peter. “Amelia.” In The Cambridge Companion to Henry Fielding, edited by Claude Rawson, 94–108. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
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