Birth City: Sharpham Park, Somerset, England.He traveled by sea to Portugal with his wife and daughter in the summer of 1754, but never returned to England, as he passed away in Lisbon on October 8 of that year. The somber Amelia, his final novel, was published in 1751.įielding's health was in serious decline by this point. Although he devoted significant energy to combating crime, Fielding delivered the celebrated The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling in 1749, a work considered one of the English language's great early novels. Later Works and Deathįielding's legal training was at last put to good use in the late 1740s, when he was appointed justice of the peace for Westminster and then magistrate of Middlesex.

He married his wife's maid in 1747 after the two grew close during a period of grieving. His father passed away in 1741, followed by one of his daughters in 1742 and his wife in 1744. Jonathan Wild the Great (1743).ĭespite his productivity, Fielding endured significant personal loss in these years. He followed with Joseph Andrews (1742), another parody published anonymously, and The History of the Life of Mr. Although the book was published anonymously and Fielding never claimed credit, it is generally accepted that he was the author. However, Fielding found the work objectionable and set out to write a parody of it, which he called An Apology for the Life of Mrs. In 1740, Samuel Richardson published Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded, which was an instant success. In the meantime, he married Charlotte Craddock and edited the Champion or, British Mercury, a satirical political publication. Unable to find meaningful work, Fielding began studying law at Middle Temple and became a barrister. He then enrolled at the University of Leiden in Holland but left to return to London in 1729. Fielding finished his first play in 1728, one of more than two dozen he penned in the span of a decade. He attended Eton College, where he studied classical authors and emerged ready to tackle the literary world. Henry Fielding was born on April 22, 1707, in Sharpham Park, Somerset, England. Through later works such as Tom Jones, Fielding earned acclaim for helping establish the foundations of the modern novel. After beginning his writing career as a playwright and editor of satirical publications, Henry Fielding found his footing by penning Joseph Andrews and other parodies.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding