Henry Fielding Biography
English Novelist and Playwright Famous for Tom Thumb
Henry Fielding was a popular English author during the first half of the 18th century, best known for his plays. Today, he is remembered as one of the first English novelists.
Early Life of Henry Fielding
Fielding was born on April 22, 1707, near Glastonbury, Somerset. His family was wealthy and respected in southwest England. He was educated at Eton College, where he learned to love ancient Greek and Roman literature that influenced his decision to become a playwright.
He studied for a year at a university in Holland before returning to England. He settled in London, where his literary career began.
At the age of 24, four of his plays were produced in one year, an impressive feat. One of them was Tom Thumb, a spoof of revenge tragedies, which was to become his most famous and popular drama.
For several years Fielding's life was happy and prosperous. His plays continued to be successful. Like many dramatists of the time, he wrote plays with strong political messages.
Political Satires and Attacks
The materials that Fielding wrote attacking the government was so effective at influencing public opinion that in 1737 a law was passed giving the authorities control over the theatres, his most successful venue.
His last play, Historical Register, was about drama critics, caused Walpole to introduce severe censorship into the London stage. His career as a successful playwright ended.
Fielding qualified as a lawyer but only managed to become a magistrate. He did not make a success of this new profession so he turned to writing for magazines to support himself.
Fielding and Samuel Richardson
When another English writer, Samuel Richardson, published his first novel, Pamela, that immensely captivated the audience, Fielding was inspired to write a comic version called Shamela. However, he treated Richardson's work as hypocritical in moral tone, of which he was never forgiven.
A few years later, Fielding hailed Richardson's Clarissa a masterpiece, about the same time that his successful Tom Jones was released.
"Tom Jones, A Foundling"
His most successful novel, Tom Jones, is a well-plotted tale of a young man's adventures over the length and breadth of England that include favourite vices and the follies of youth. It features a cast of hilarious, vividly drawn characters.
Tom Jones is regarded as one of the finest early English novels. Henry Fielding died on October, 1754, at the age of 47.
Books by Henry Fielding
- Love in Several Masques, 1728
- The Author's Farce, 1730
- Tom Thumb, 1730
- Rape upon Rape, 1730
- The Modern Husband, 1732
- Pasquin, 1736
- Shamela, 1741
- Joseph Andrews, 1742
- A Journey from this World to the Next, 1743
- A History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, 1749
- Amelia, 1751
Related Link: Henry Fielding's Quotations
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
Henry Fielding, English Novelist and Playwright
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