Henry Fielding was a renowned English novelist as well as a dramatist during 18th century which is supposed to be the transition period in the field of English literature. He was born on the 22nd April 1707 in an aristocratic family at Shaphram park, United Kingdom. He was a well known literary figure during the middle of the 18th century called Augustan period. He received his education at Eton College. He wanted to study law but he couldn't do so as his father refused to help him financially and finally he decided to look for his career in the field of literature as a playwright. He lost his mother at the age of 11. He had a personal experience of two love affairs - first with Miss Sarah Andrew and second with Miss Charlotte Craddock. He married Miss Charlotte in 1734.
Fielding started his literary career with English plays and wrote nearly 16 plays but he did not gain much popularity as a dramatist. Some of his famous plays include:
- Love in Several Masques, 1728.
- Tragedy of tragedies, 1731.
- The Covent Garden Tragedy, 1732.
- The Miser, 1733.
- Don Quixote in England, 1734.
- Pasquim, 1736.
He used to satirize the political figures in his plays. His plays used to criticize the works of government and political figures. It is believed that the Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 was passed in response to his satirizing activity in order to ban him. The above are no doubt well known plays of Fielding thereafter he realized that his genius was not fit for play - writing and decided to change his way. He embarked into a career in law which was his first goal and become a barrister. He left the theatre but continued his writing even after he became a barrister. He began to write novel and published his first novel, "Josheph Andrew" in 1742. He tried to present a parody to Pamela by Samuel Richardson which was his famous novel.
"Josheph Andrew" got huge success. Fielding tried to give a new touch to the English novel by this creation. He published his ironical fiction, "Jonathan Wild" in 1743. He also tried his hand at Journalism. He gained much popularity as a satirist and moralist after his masterpiece work, 'Tom Jones', published in 1749. The present novel of Fielding depicts the adventures of a malicious hero of low social class who lives in a corrupt society. This is considered to be the best book of Fielding and one of the popular novels of the 18th century English literature. "Tom Jones" and "Josheph Andrews" are the satirical works of Fielding made him quite popular as a novelist. He wrote her "Amelia" and "A Voyage to Lisbon" in 1751.
Fielding believed that a work of fiction is supposed to tell the truth of a society. "Tom Jones" of Fielding is not a fictional work but based on the history. By this work he means a realistic account of the life and his time. The 18th century is the century of prose as well as rise of novel as a new literary genre. We find a great contribution of Henry Fielding to the rise of the novel during the beginning of this new mode of writing in English literature. Fielding lived short life but occupied a great place among the great novelists of his sense of symbolism and realism. His works show that he was a man with a passion for reform and justice. He died on the 8th October 1754 at Lisbon, Portugal.
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