The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Fielding, Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140436227 ISBN 13: 9780140436228

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2005

Synopsis

A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire—though he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.
   · Includes a chronology, suggestions for further reading, notes, glossary, and an appendix of Fielding's revisions
   · Introduction discusses narrative tecniques and themes, the context of eighteenth-century fiction and satire, and the historical and political background of the Jacobite revolution

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About this title

Review

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.

From the Publisher

A milestone in the history of the English novel, Tom Jones draws readers into a world teeming with memorable characters. This epic of everyday life chronicles the adventures of Tome Jones, who was abandoned as an infant and grows into a lusty, imprudent young man. Promising to mend his ways, Tom competes with his abusive rival for the affections of a wealthy squire's daughter, and learns the truth about his identity, in this discerning comedy of human foibles and self-discovery.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0140436227
• ISBN 13: 9780140436228
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 1024
• Editor: Wakely Alice