The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

First published in 1749, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling is considered one of the best and most influential early novels in English literature. Henry Fielding was a respected dramatist, essayist, and satirist, and as a public official, he helped to establish London’s first professional police force.

A comic novel that blends romance, realism, picaresque, and social commentary—while passing itself off as a true history of a life as well as a reflection of human nature—The History of Tom Jones has amused readers for centuries with its account of an orphan (or foundling) who, after he is cast out by the generous man who raised him, travels throughout the South of England having several adventures in love, friendship, and folly while meeting an array of vivid and memorably flawed characters. Eventually, after he is plotted against and thrown in prison, he learns his parentage and is reconciled with his family and his virtuous beloved, the Squire’s daughter Sophia Western.

While some critics thought the comedic elements to be frivolous and the overall story lacking in moral tone, most contemporaries praised the novel for its lively

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