History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

About the book

Tom Jones grows up in the household of the benevolent Mr Allworthy, where his uncertain parentage and impulsive conduct leave him open to suspicion. His attachment to Sophia Western becomes entangled with family expectations and with consequences he has not learned to anticipate. Fielding sends his hero through journeys, encounters, misunderstandings, and changing social settings, accompanied by a narrator who openly discusses how stories should be told and judged. The comedy distinguishes hypocrisy from genuine fault without pretending that a good heart makes every action wise. Coincidence and concealed information create an intricate plot, but the expansive telling also makes room for debate about human character. Readers are invited to enjoy Tom's vitality while continually reconsidering the evidence on which respectable people condemn or excuse one another.

• Goodness and judgment
• Social reputation
• Storytelling

Why read it

For a spacious comic narrative whose talkative narrator makes moral judgment part of the entertainment.

English text