Customer Reviews

Tom Jones (Oxford World's Classics)

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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.

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!

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.

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 Mark Twain said was frequently praised and rarely read). Tom Jones does not deserve to be ignored since it is a riotous rollercoster of a book filled with comic vignettes and blows against the self-satisfied and pompous. It is a book that not only is instructional, but is considerate enough to give the reader a good time while doing so.

Though frequently termed an immoral book, Tom Jones holds up rather well in the early 21st century. Even Fielding's comic characters seem to have a dimension often lacking in 18th and 19th century novels. Fielding is a genius.

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 the begin each section. One word of caution--buy a well-constructed edition, there are simply too many pages for a cheaply made version to stand up even to a single reading. At this point, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to have to purchase a better edition for my book shelf, and I'm throwing away the old pages as I go.

This was the first book I read in this literary period and genre, and was also the cause of my love affair with 18th century british satire. Not only is Fielding worth reading, but his essays, books, novels and plays are fantastic insights into Fielding's political impressions of the age. Do not stop with this book...read as much Fielding as you can get your hands on. I would also recommend Tobias Smollet and Daniel Defoe's lesser known stuffs. If you seek emotional balance, turn to Samuel Richardson's stuff and then go back to Fielding again. The Pamela/Shamela dynamic is a fantastic read.

Journey with a guy with much testosterone, but a HUGE heart. I was not looking forward to reading this book for my 18th Century British novel class, but upon starting to read I found it to be a pleasurable story. This piqaresque novel has a humor that I have seldom encountered in other narratives. What is ironic is that Fielding wrote this piece during one of the most traumatic periods of his life. His wife just passed away, his daughter was dying, and he was inflicted with the gout. One would never think it from the clever way the book is written. The point of view gives us an in so that we feel as if we ourselves have roles in the storyline. Rooting all the way for Tom despite his flaws, we find out more about human nature along the way. A good read, light a candle and sit down with some wine like they would've and enjoy this classic comical delight.

I am tempted to say that just as Marlowe paved the way for Shakespeare, Fielding paved the way for Dickens. I do not have one single complaint about this book. The images are wonderfully portrayed. The main character Tom has many dimensions. He is a rogue, a bumbler, and a womanizer. But at the same time he is heroic, brave, and honorable. Mr. Allworthy is memorable as the virtuous guardian of Tom. Sophia is memorable as a woman with a mind of her own. One of the greatest things about this book is that even though it is over 800 pages long, it is NEVER boring. We are either in suspense, feeling pity, feeling sorrow, or trying to control our laughter. This was the 3rd book I read in History of the Novel. While I did not like the first 2 at all, I REALLY liked this one. It is interesting that Charles Dickens mentions this book in his "David Copperfield" (1850). If you like this book, you MUST see the movie where Albert Finney plays Tom.

Tom Jones is a sophisticated, beautifully written novel about a fondling who ends up becoming a dashing lover. Do not miss the stunning essays which open each section. They count among the finest and most thoughtfully written prose in the English language. A book to be read at a leisurely pace on a summer holiday.

Gentle satire about human nature and morality in the form of the history of a foundling raised in the home of a country squire, who is exiled from the home through a misunderstanding, and eventually reunited through a series of comic coincidences.

Fielding provides a convincing argument as to the relative importance of chastity and piety as virtues by offering one character (Jones) who possesses every Christian virtue except chastity and piety, against another (Blifil) who has virtually no real virtue except chastity and piety.

The moral lesson alone would not make this the greatest novel of all time. Fielding's relaxed, dry, humorous, and affectionate style is the main attraction. Do not try to rush through this book. Be grateful for the time you spend reading it, and go slowly.