The classic story of a young man living by his wits and relying upon his fortunes in 18th-century England, by one of the greatest novelists in the language. Tom Jones, a foundling who is taken in and raised by the kindly Squire Allworthy, is a guileless boy whose inherent decency is sometimes obscured by his high-spirited bawdiness and candor. Unjustly banished from the Allworthy house, Tom takes to the road and, after a series of richly comic, often harrowing adventures, learns the value of prudence, is reunited with Allworthy, and discovers his true identity.
In the PENGUIN CLASSICS series, a single volume containing two novels written by Henry Fielding. It includes SHAMELA, written in 1741, in which the heroine sets out to catch a rich husband and JOSEPH ANDREWS, written in 1742, in which the eponymous hero loves one woman but is pursued instead by the Lady to whom he is servant.
A vivid, romantic comedy, Tom Jones is also a clever social satire. This well-loved classic has recently been made into a wonderfully warm and funny television serial.
Ed.: George Saintsbury / Contents: / The Authors Farce, Acts I. And II. / The Tragedy of Tragedies; or, The Life And Death / of Tom Thumb The Great / Pasquin; A Dramatic Satire On The Times / An Essay On Conversation / The True Patriot, No. XIII. / The Covent-Garden Journal, Nos. X., XXXIII. / Familiar Letter
Tom, a foundling, is discovered one evening by the benevolent Squire Allworthy and his sister Bridget and brought up as a son in their household; when his sexual escapades and general misbehavior lead them to banish him, he sets out in search of both his fortune and his true identity. Amorous, high-spirited, and filled with what Fielding called the glorious lust of doing good, but with a tendency toward dissolution, Tom Jones is one of the first characters in English fiction whose human virtues and vices are realistically depicted. This edition is set from the text of the Wesleyan Edition of the Works of Henry Fielding.
