Book description
With an essay by Mark Spilka.
'Kissing, Joseph, is but a prologue to a Play. Can I believe a
young fellow of your Age and Complexion will be content with Kissing?'
Henry Fielding's riotous tale of innocents in a corrupt world was
one of the earliest English novels, blending bawdy slapstick,
philosophical musing and pointed social satire to create a work of
moral complexity and generous, life-affirming humanity. Published in
1742, it tells the story of the chaste servant Joseph Andrews who,
after being sacked for spurning the advances of the lascivious Lady
Booby, takes to the road, accompanied by his beloved Fanny Goodwill
and the absent-minded, much put-upon Parson Adams. There they
encounter robbers, tricksters, seducers, mishaps and strange twists of
fortune, in a series of adventures filled with exuberant comedy.
The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in
English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the
beginning of the First World War.
Henry Fielding (1707-1754) started his career as a playwright
until his outspoken satirical plays so annoyed Walpole's Government
that a new Licensing Act was introduced to drive him from the stage.
He turned to writing various 'comic epics in prose', including
Shamela and Tom Jones. A master innovator, he
is credited with creating the first modern novels in English. He was
also a magistrate and co-founder of the Bow Street Runners, often
dubbed as London's first professional police force.
Tom Jones is also published in the Penguin English Library.
