Nobody but a blockhead would ever write anything down that he isn't getting paid for.
So was the opinion of Henry Fielding in his novel, Tom Jones. Not much has been said in detail about this work, in comparison with other books of its stature. Whatever the reason, this one can boast being the inspiration for a 1963 Academy Award-winning movie. The movie has a lot of fun portraying the sexual encounters the hero of this book seems to keep running into. Tom Jones is born a bastard. Unfortunately, the people of this small country estate neighborhood in Somersetshire, England, in the mid-1700's, made a big issue out of how bad a thing that was. Tom was discovered as an abandoned baby, and he was raised in the home of, Mr. Allworthy, the judge, in the most elegant traditions of a gentleman and scholar of letters and morals. Jones was born a very handsome lad, and he was possessed of a good heart, good sense, and vigorous animal spirits.
The characters of Messrs. Square and Thwackum enlighten us on the atmosphere of the tutored home life of Tom and Master Blifil, the brat 14-year-old son of Mrs. Bridget Blifil, widow of the late Captain Blifil. Miss Bridget married one of Allworthy’s houseguests after Allworthy gave her the boy to raise. Tom's mother, Jenny, was sentenced out of town by the judge. He told Jenny that he would raise the child in his own house.
The novel is written as an expose of nothing less than human nature itself. It is a delightful comedy of a lover-boy who doesn't always do the right thing. The language is a bit of an obstacle to overcome, but after a few pages, one discovers that the effort of learning this very formal brand of English is well worth the effort. That the book has much more to offer than the movie is a mighty understatement.
As Tom grows older, he spends a lot of his time at the home of Squire Western, the neighbor to Mr. Allworthy. The Squire is very fond of hunting, and Tom makes a good riding companion in these frequent pursuits. The Squire has a daughter the same age as Tom. Her name is Sophia, and she is beautiful almost beyond description. With the social handicap of being a bastard, Tom has very little hope of winning her hand, but with his generous and lively nature, he soon does attract her attention--as well as that of most of the young women in that part of the country.
Before long, Tom gets into trouble with a local girl named Molly Seagrim. His bawdy conduct with her is discoverd by Blifil and Thwackum one day when Mr. Allworthy is sick in bed with a serious illness. Tom had gotten drunk and he happened upon Molly on a walk right after a lawyer brought news to the house of the death of Allworthy’s sister, Bridget. Tom's lack of respect on this occasion earned for him the sentence of exile once Allworthy recovered. Tom's cause in defending himself in this charge by Master Blifil was especially harmed by the lying testimony of his jealous tutors, Square and Thwackum. Though Tom is given some money to start out on his own, he soon loses the money and is left in desperate straits.
Meanwhile, Squire Western, and his sister-in-residence, arrange for Sophia's betrothal to Master Blifil. Sophia so much detests Blifil that she runs away from home. She sets out with her maid to London where she hopes to be sheltered by her Aunt, Lady Bellaston, who would be more sympathetic to Sophia's cause than to that of her father who Lady Bellaston considers a country oaf.
While trying to get into the military service, Tom meets up with a character named Partridge. We have been earlier introduced to this character as the one who Allworthy had discovered to be the father of Tom. Partridge admits to adopting a new identity, but he denies that he is Tom’s father. He is eager to set out with Tom because he believes he can restore him to Allworthy's good favor and win a reward for this service. He doesn't tell Tom his plan, but instead says he wants to accompany him for friendship.
From this point on, the adventures of this pair are told in a manner similar to that used by Cervantes to describe the travels of Don Quixote. Along their way to meet up with the army so Tom could enlist, he and Partridge stay at an inn in a town called Upton. Unknown to them, Sophia and her maid arrive while they are there at this inn. At that very time, Tom was having an amorous adventure with a woman he'd met on the road named Mrs. Waters. Sophia's maid, Mrs. Honor, discovers the situation and alerts her mistress. Sophia intentionally leaves her muff for Tom to discover in the morning, and she and her maid leave the inn immediately.
Sophia eventually reaches London and is welcomed by her aunt, Lady Bellaston, who graciously does allow Sophia to stay with her. Tom pursues Sophia to London and makes an extensive search to learn where she is staying. Word of his inquiries reaches Lady Bellaston. She contrives to see this gentlemen about whom she has heard, to satisfy herself that he really is as handsome as he has been described. She sends Tom an invitation to a masquerade ball, signed Queen of the Fairies.
Tom goes to the ball with Mr. Nightingale, a friend he has made at his lodgings. The Queen of the Fairies lures him away, tempting him with knowledge of Sophia's whereabouts. Thinking there is no way to gain access to Sophia except to humor Lady Bellaston, Tom embarks on a liaison with her that proves so financially rewarding to him and pleasing to the lady that he finds himself entangled in an affair as a kept man. When he finally does discover Sophia, breaking off with Lady Bellaston plunges him into very deep trouble.
Mr. Western also discovers Sophia's whereabouts. He whirls into London and whisks Sophia away to a locked room in his rented apartment. He sends word to Blifil come and conclude the marriage. Mr. Allworthy and Blifil both come to London for this purpose. Shortly after their arrival, they discover that Tom is landed in jail and he is being charged with attempted murder of a man he fought fairly with in a duel but was framed by agents of Lord Felamar, a new suitor of Sophia who wants Tom out of the way. Through the good offices of his friends Partridge, Nightingale, and Mrs. Miller, the landlady where Tom had his lodgings, he is freed from jail after the injured man recovers.
Some very surprising discoveries are made in the last chapters by Tom and by Mr. Allworthy. These I will leave for your discovery. I will tell you, though, that in the end, Tom does marry Sophia. How this very unlikely event takes place I will also leave as a surprise for you.
The skill with which Fielding weaves the plot to bring about these events is really amazing. The learned and authoritative way in which the story is told is another example of Fielding’s evident talent and skill that earned him a place among the great writers of all time in giving (or selling) the world this epic comedy.
© 1997 Herman Fontenot
References found on the World Wide Web:
This amateur takes no responsibility for the content or availability of any of these references, nor does he necessarily agree with the viewpoints expressed.
Henry Fielding - Henry Fielding. The Historical Register of the Year 1736. The Eighteenth Century Novel. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling. Literature in Great... --http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8003/quixote/fielding.html
Henry Fielding - Henry Fielding (1707-1754) Henry Fielding the 18th century novelist, grew up at East Stour near Blandford. His most famous novel, Tom Jones, has much set.. --http://www.shogun.demon.co.uk/dorset/fielding.htm
Henry Fielding (1707-1754) - A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Chronological. Henry Fielding (1707-1754)... --http://www.mala.bc.ca/~mcneil/field.htm
Henry Fielding. 1707-1754. - Henry Fielding. 1707-1754. 1. All Nature wears one universal grin. Tom Thumb the Great. Act i. Sc. 1. 2. Petition me no petitions, sir, to-day; Let other.. --http://www.sol.com.sg/classroom/references/bartlett/184.htm
No Title - John Cocking 8oct96 Dev. Novel A Diverting Discussion of the Digressions in Joseph Andrews and Don Quixote or, Have you heard the one about...? Henry... --http://www.guilford.edu/web_class_96/ppages/john/tristram/digress.txt
My name is Herman, and my e-mail address is: kfonteno@flash.net.
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