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Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders of the traditional English novel. He also holds a place in the history of law enforcement, having used his authority as a magistrate to found the Bow Street Runners, London's first intermittently funded, full-time police force.


Early life

Fielding was born 22 April 1707 at
Sharpham Sharpham is a village and civil parish on the Somerset Levels near Street and Glastonbury in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It is located near the River Brue. Governance The parish council has responsibility for local issues, ...
,
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...
, and educated at
Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...
, where he began a lifelong friendship with
William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...
. His mother died when he was 11. A suit for custody was brought by his grandmother against his charming but irresponsible father, Lt Gen. Edmund Fielding. The settlement placed Henry in his grandmother's care, but he continued to see his father in London. In 1725, Henry tried to abduct his cousin Sarah Andrews (with whom he was infatuated) while she was on her way to church. He fled to avoid prosecution. In 1728, Fielding travelled to
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...
to study classics and law at the university. However, penury forced him back to London, where he began writing for the theatre. Some of his work savagely criticised the government of Prime Minister Sir
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lea ...
.


Dramatist and novelist

According to George R. Levine, Henry Fielding, in his first writings used two forms of "rhetorical poses" that were popular during the eighteenth century. Henry Fielding would construct "the non-ironic pseudonym such as Addison Steele used in the ''Spectator,'' and the ironic mask or ''Persona'', such as Swift used in A Modest Proposal." The Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 is said to be a direct response to his activities in writing for the theatre. Although the play that triggered the act was the unproduced, anonymously authored '' The Golden Rump'', Fielding's dramatic satires had set the tone. Once it was passed, political satire on stage became all but impossible. Fielding retired from the theatre and resumed his legal career to support his wife Charlotte Craddock and two children by becoming a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and givin ...
, joining the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's I ...
in 1737 and being
called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
there in 1740. Fielding's lack of financial acumen meant the family often endured periods of poverty, but were helped by Ralph Allen, a wealthy benefactor, on whom Squire Allworthy in ''Tom Jones'' would be based. Allen went on to provide for the education and support of Fielding's children after the writer's death. Fielding never stopped writing political satire and satires of current arts and letters. ''
The Tragedy of Tragedies ''The Tragedy of Tragedies'', also known as ''The Tragedy of Tragedies; or, The Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great'', is a play by Henry Fielding. It is an expanded and reworked version of one of his earlier plays, '' Tom Thumb'', and tells t ...
'' (for which Hogarth designed the frontispiece) was, for example, quite successful as a printed play. Based on his earlier '' Tom Thumb'', this was another of Fielding's irregular plays published under the name of H. Scriblerus Secundus, a pseudonym intended to link himself ideally with the Scriblerus Club of literary satirists founded by
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Du ...
,
Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...
and
John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for '' The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly P ...
. He also contributed several works to journals. From 1734 to 1739, Fielding wrote anonymously for the leading
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
periodical, ''The Craftsman'', against the Prime Minister, Sir
Robert Walpole Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lea ...
., p. xvi His patron was the opposition Whig MP George Lyttelton, a boyhood friend from Eton to whom he later dedicated ''
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
''. Lyttelton followed his leader Lord Cobham in forming a Whig opposition to Walpole's government called the Cobhamites, which included another of Fielding's Eton friends, William Pitt. In ''The Craftsman'', Fielding voiced an opposition attack on bribery and corruption in British politics. Despite writing for the opposition to Walpole, which included Tories as well as Whigs, Fielding was "unshakably a Whig" and often praised Whig heroes such as the Duke of Marlborough and
Gilbert Burnet Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was highly respected as a cleric, a preacher, an academi ...
. Fielding dedicated his play ''Don Quixote in England'' to the opposition Whig leader
Lord Chesterfield Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, (22 September 169424 March 1773) was a British statesman, diplomat, and man of letters, and an acclaimed wit of his time. Early life He was born in London to Philip Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Che ...
. It appeared on 17 April 1734, the same day writs were issued for the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. He dedicated his 1735 play '' The Universal Gallant'' to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, a political follower of Chesterfield. The other prominent opposition paper, ''Common Sense'', founded by Chesterfield and Lyttelton, was named after a character in Fielding's ''
Pasquin Pasquino or Pasquin (Latin: ''Pasquillus'') is the name used by Romans since the early modern period to describe a battered Hellenistic-style statue perhaps dating to the third century BC, which was unearthed in the Parione district of Rome i ...
'' (1736). Fielding wrote at least two articles for it in 1737 and 1738. Fielding continued to air political views in satirical articles and newspapers in the late 1730s and early 1740s. He was the main writer and editor from 1739 to 1740 for the satirical paper ''The Champion'', which was sharply critical of Walpole's government and of pro-government literary and political writers. He sought to evade libel charges by making its political attacks so funny or embarrassing to the victim that a publicized court case would seem even worse. He later became chief writer for the Whig government of Henry Pelham. Fielding took to novel writing in 1741, angered by Samuel Richardson's success with '' Pamela''. His first success was an anonymous parody of that novel, called ''
Shamela ''An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews'', or simply ''Shamela'', as it is more commonly known, is a satirical burlesque novella by English writer Henry Fielding. It was first published in April 1741 under the name of ''Mr. Conny Key ...
''. This follows the model of Tory satirists of the previous generation, notably Swift and Gay. Fielding followed this with '' Joseph Andrews'' (1742), an original work supposedly dealing with Pamela's brother, Joseph. His purpose, however, was more than parody, for as stated in the preface, he intended a "kind of writing which I do not remember to have seen hitherto attempted in our language." In what Fielding called a "comic epic poem in prouse", he 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 the novels to come was use of everyday reality of character and action, as opposed to the fables of the past. While begun as a parody, it developed into an accomplished novel in its own right and is seen as Fielding's debut as a serious novelist. In 1743, he published a novel in the ''Miscellanies'' volume III (which was the first volume of the Miscellanies): ''
The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great ''The Life and Death of the Late Jonathan Wild, the Great'' is a satiric novel by Henry Fielding. It was published in 1743 in Fielding's ''Miscellanies'', third volume. It is a satiric account of the life of London underworld boss Jonathan Wild ...
'', which is sometimes counted as his first, as he almost certainly began it before he wrote ''Shamela'' and ''Joseph Andrews''. It is a satire of Walpole equating him and
Jonathan Wild Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was a London underworld figure notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled the "'' Thief-Taker General''". He simultaneously ran ...
, the gang leader and highwayman. He implicitly compares the Whig party in
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
with a gang of thieves run by Walpole, whose constant desire to be a "Great Man" (a common epithet with Walpole) ought to culminate in the antithesis of greatness: hanging. Fielding's anonymous '' The Female Husband'' (1746) fictionalizes a case in which a female transvestite was tried for duping another woman into marriage; this was one of several small pamphlets costing sixpence. Though a minor piece in his life's work, it reflects his preoccupation with fraud, shamming and masks. His greatest work is ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' (1749), a meticulous comic novel with elements of the picaresque and the
Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...
, telling a convoluted, hilarious tale of how a foundling came into a fortune. The plot is too ingenious for a simple summary; it tells of Tom's alienation from his foster father, Squire Allworthy, and his sweetheart, Sophia Western, and his reconciliation with them after lively and dangerous adventures on the road and in London. It triumphs as a presentation of English life and character in the mid-18th century. Every social type is represented and through them every shade of moral behaviour. Fielding's varied style tempers the basic seriousness of the novel and his authorial comment before each chapter adds a dimension to a conventional, straightforward narrative.


Sister

Fielding's younger sister,
Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...
, also became a successful writer. Her novel ''
The Governess, or The Little Female Academy ''The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy'' (published 1749) by Sarah Fielding is the first full-length novel written for children.As such and in itself it is a significant work of 18th-century children's literature.H. Carpenter and M. Pr ...
'' (1749) is thought to be the first in English aimed expressly at children.


Marriages

Fielding married Charlotte Craddock in 1734 at the Church of St Mary in Charlcombe, Somerset. She died in 1744, and he later modelled the heroines of ''Tom Jones'' and of ''Amelia'' on her. They had five children; their only daughter Henrietta died at the age of 23, having already been "in deep decline" when she married a military engineer,
James Gabriel Montresor James Gabriel Montresor (19 November 1704 – 6 January 1776) was a British military engineer. Early life and the western Mediterranean Montresor was born on Broad Street or St. James's, Westminster, 19 November 1704, the son of James Gabriel l ...
, some months before. Three years after Charlotte's death, Fielding disregarded public opinion by marrying her former maid Mary Daniel, who was pregnant. Mary bore five children: three daughters who died young, and two sons, William and Allen.


Jurist and magistrate

Despite the scandal, Fielding's consistent anti-Jacobitism and support for the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...
led to his appointment a year later as London's chief magistrate, while his literary career went from strength to strength. Most of his work concerned London's criminal population of thieves, informers, gamblers and prostitutes. Though living in a corrupt and callous society, he became noted for impartial judgements, incorruptibility and compassion for those whom social inequities led into crime. The income from his office ("the dirtiest money upon earth") dwindled as he refused to take money from the very poor. Joined by his younger half-brother
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
, he helped found what some call London's first police force, the Bow Street Runners, in 1749. According to the historian G. M. Trevelyan, the Fieldings were two of the best magistrates in 18th-century London, who did much to enhance judicial reform and improve prison conditions. Fielding's influential pamphlets and enquiries included a proposal for abolishing public hangings. This did not, however, imply opposition to capital punishment as such – as is evident, for example, in his presiding in 1751 over the trial of the notorious criminal James Field, finding him guilty in a robbery and sentencing him to hang. John Fielding, despite being blind by then, succeeded his older brother as chief magistrate, becoming known as the "Blind Beak of Bow Street" for his ability to recognise criminals by their voices alone.. In January 1752 Fielding started a fortnightly, '' The Covent-Garden Journal'', published under the pseudonym "Sir Alexander Drawcansir, Knt., Censor of Great Britain" until November of that year. Here Fielding challenged the "armies of
Grub Street Until the early 19th century, Grub Street was a street close to London's impoverished Moorfields district that ran from Fore Street east of St Giles-without-Cripplegate north to Chiswell Street. It was pierced along its length with narrow entr ...
" and periodical writers of the day in a conflict that became the Paper War of 1752–1753. Fielding then published ''Examples of the Interposition of Providence in the Detection and Punishment of Murder'' (1752), a treatise rejecting deistic and materialistic visions of the world in favour of belief in God's presence and divine judgement, arguing that the murder rate was rising due to neglect of the Christian religion.Claire Valier, 2005. ''Crime and Punishment in Contemporary Culture''. Routledge. p. 20. In 1753 he wrote ''Proposals for Making an Effectual Provision for the Poor''. Fielding's humanitarian commitment to justice in the 1750s (for instance in support of Elizabeth Canning) coincided with rapid deterioration in his health.
Gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
,
asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
and
cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...
of the liver left him on crutches, and with other afflictions sent him to Portugal in 1754 to seek a cure, only to die two months later in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...
, reportedly in pain and mental distress. His tomb there is in the British Cemetery (''Cemitério Inglês''), the graveyard of St. George's Church, Lisbon.


List of works


Novels

*''
Shamela ''An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews'', or simply ''Shamela'', as it is more commonly known, is a satirical burlesque novella by English writer Henry Fielding. It was first published in April 1741 under the name of ''Mr. Conny Key ...
'' – novella, 1741 *'' The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and his Friend, Mr. Abraham Adams'' – 1742 *''
The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great ''The Life and Death of the Late Jonathan Wild, the Great'' is a satiric novel by Henry Fielding. It was published in 1743 in Fielding's ''Miscellanies'', third volume. It is a satiric account of the life of London underworld boss Jonathan Wild ...
'' – 1743, ironic treatment of
Jonathan Wild Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was a London underworld figure notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled the "'' Thief-Taker General''". He simultaneously ran ...
, a notorious underworld figure of the time. Published as Volume 3 of ''Miscellanies'' *''The Female Husband or the Surprising History of Mrs Mary alias Mr George Hamilton, who was convicted of having married a young woman of Wells and lived with her as her husband, taken from her own mouth since her confinement'' – pamphlet, fictionalized report, 1746 *''
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', often known simply as ''Tom Jones'', is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It is a ''Bildungsroman'' and a picaresque novel. It was first published on 28 February 1749 in ...
'' – 1749 *''A Journey from this World to the Next'' – 1749 *'' Amelia'' – 1751


Partial list of poems

*''The Masquerade'' – (Fielding's first publication) *''Part of Juvenal's Sixth Satire, Modernized in Burlesque Verse''


Plays

*'' Love in Several Masques'' – 1728 *''
Rape upon Rape ''Rape upon Rape; or, The Justice Caught in his own Trap'', also known as ''The Coffee-House Politician'', is a play by Henry Fielding. It was first performed at the Haymarket Theatre on 23 June 1730. The play is a love comedy that depicts the ...
'' – 1730. Adapted by
Bernard Miles Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 190714 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre that opened in the City of London since the 17th ce ...
as ''Lock Up Your Daughters!'' in 1959, filmed in 1974 *'' The Temple Beau'' – 1730 *'' The Author's Farce'' – 1730 *''The Pleasures of the Town'' *'' The Letter Writers'' or A New Way to Keep a Wife at Home, A Farce – 1731 *'' The Tragedy of Tragedies; or, The Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great'' – 1731 *''The Copper-House Politician'' or The Justice Caught in his own Trap, A Comedy – 1731 *''The Debauchees'', or The Justice Caught – 1731 *'' The Grub Street Opera'' – 1731 *'' The Modern Husband'' – 1732 *'' The Mock Doctor'' or The Dumb Lady Cured, a Comedy done from
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
– 1732 *'' The Lottery'' – 1732 *'' The Covent Garden Tragedy'' – 1732 *'' The Miser'', ''A Comedy taken from
Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the g ...
and
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
'' – 1733 *''The Intriguing Chambermaid'' – 1734 *''An Old Man Taught Wisdom, or The Virgin Unmasked, A Farce'' – 1734 *''
Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
'' – 1734 *'' The Universal Gallant'', or The Different Husbands, A Comedy – c. 1735 *''
Pasquin Pasquino or Pasquin (Latin: ''Pasquillus'') is the name used by Romans since the early modern period to describe a battered Hellenistic-style statue perhaps dating to the third century BC, which was unearthed in the Parione district of Rome i ...
'' – 1736 *''Eurydice, A Farce'' – 1737 *''Eurydice Hiss'd, or A Word to the Wise'' – 1737 *'' The Historical Register for the Year 1736'' – 1737 *''Miss Lucy in Town, A Farce'' – 1742 *''Tumbledown Dick or Phaeton in the Suds'' *''The Wedding-Day, A Comedy'' *''The Fathers: Or, the Good-Natur'd Man'' – published posthumously in 1778


Miscellaneous writings

*''Miscellanies'' – collection of works, 1743, contained the poem "Part of Juvenal's Sixth Satire, Modernized in Burlesque Verse" *'
Examples of the interposition of Providence in the Detection and Punishment of Murder containing above thirty cases in which this dreadful crime has been brought to light in the most extraordinary and miraculous manner; collected from various authors, ancient and modern
'' (1752) *'' The Covent-Garden Journal'' – periodical, 1752 *''Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon'' – travel narrative, 1755


References


External links

* * * *
Famous Quotes by Henry Fielding
* *
Henry Fielding
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fielding, Henry 1707 births 1754 deaths 18th-century English novelists 18th-century English male writers English dramatists and playwrights 18th-century English judges English satirists English Christians Henry Judges educated at British public schools People educated at Eton College People from Glastonbury Writers from London English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists Henry Fielding British parodists Parody novelists