The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling: Amazon.ca: Henry Fielding, Maurice West: Books

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Tom Jones isn't a bad guy, but boys just want to have fun. Nearly two and a half centuries after its publication, the adventures of the rambunctious and randy Tom Jones still makes for great reading. I'm not in the habit of using words like bawdy or rollicking, but if you look them up in the dictionary, you should see a picture of this book. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-A full caste dramatization brings to life this romp through 18th century England.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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4.7 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars The Story of a Foundling, Oct 23 2001

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mp - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penguin Classics Tom Jones (Mass Market Paperback)

It was about time I read "Tom Jones." Fielding's 1749 novel gives us a panoramic view of 18th century British life. Its titular hero journeys among the low- and high-born trying to find his way in a world in which he occupies a precarious position. Fielding uses the sprawl of 800 pages to explore a multitude of social, political, and literary issues, gluing them together with an exquisitely outlandish, fully embodied sense of humour.

The action of the novel begins with a view of the Allworthy family, a landed gentleman, Thomas Allworthy and his sister, Bridget. Into this family is dropped an orphan, a foundling - a child, if you will, of questionable parentage. This child, Tom Jones, is raised alongside Bridget's child, Blifil, as relative equals. Both are tutored by two ideologues, the philosopher Square and the theologian Thwackum. Jones is a precocious, free-spirited youngster, spoiled by Allworthy while Blifil, the heir apparent to the estate, becomes the favourite pupil and spoiled accordingly by his mother. As the two youths age, Tom develops a fondness for the neighbour's daughter, Sophia Western.

Tom's sexual development begins to get him in trouble, as it tends to throughout the novel, and as a result of one such incident, coupled with the goading jealousy of Blifil, Tom is driven out of the Allworthy home, left to seek his fortunes in the world. Meeting his supposed father, Partridge, on the road, the two begin a quixotic ramble across England. Sophia, meanwhile, pressured into marrying Blifil, runs away from home, beginning her own voyage of discovery.

"Tom Jones" begins with the narrator likening literature to a meal, in which the paying customer comes expecting to be entertained and satisfied. All 18 books of "Tom Jones" start out with such authorial intrusions, each cluing us into the writer's craft, his interactions with his public, and various other topics. This voice is actually sustained throughout the novel, providing a supposedly impartial centre of moral value judgments - each of which seems to tend toward enforce Fielding's project of a realistic, and yet, didactic portrayal of a world full of flawed characters.

Some of the issues the novel deals most extensively with are modes of exchange, anxieties over female agency, and the power of rumour and reputation. Exchange and the ways in which value is figured include a wide range of goods - money, bodies, food, and stories - and are integral to the story. The treatment of women is a great concern in "Tom Jones": from Partridge's perpetual fear of witchcraft to the raging arguments between Squire Western and his sister over how Sophia should be treated, to general concerns about sexuality and virtue. A novel that can be in turns hilarious, disturbing, and provoking, "Tom Jones" is never dull. Despite its size, the pace of the novel is extremely fast and lively. So, get thee to a superstore and obtain thyself a copy of this excellent and highly entertaining novel.

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5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT EDITION OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST NOVELS, Jan 23 2011

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Pierre A. Beauchamp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Penguin Classics History Of Tom Jones A Foundling (Paperback)

This is an excellent edition of one of the world's ten best novels, according to Somerset Maugham's list of the world's best novels. It is both scholarly and fun to read. As a previous reviewer pointed out, you can skip the first chapter of each section if you are in a hurry to get to the end... It moves very well -- one of three best plots in classical literature! There is just one reservation on my part -- I hope Penguin changes the cover in future reprints. Its mock-heroic style is so funny, it makes it well worth the effort!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening and hilarious, Dec 1 2003

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Nancy Wall (Coaldale, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penguin Classics Tom Jones (Mass Market Paperback)

Tom Jones was probably the best novel I have ever had the opportunity to read, the very memory of certain incidents in the novel can still make me laugh. Henry Fielding was an absolute genius with an acute grasp of the nature of man and a subtle wit. Although Tom Jones was a scandel when it first emerged, and continues to be judged so by some, it is really an excellent novel which I would recommend to anyone who doesn't mind reading with a dictionary near at hand.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not unusual...
Tom Jones is probably one of the greatest novels in all of English literature. I imagine some might be put off by the length and by its designation as a classic (something which... Read more

Published on Jun 14 2002 by M. A Newman

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, cheap edition
I'm reading this book in the Wordsworth Classics edition now (about 150 pages from the end). Obviously, this is one of the world's great books--I particularly enjoy the essays... Read more

Published on Sep 17 2001