Henry Fielding (1707–1754)

Schon als ich das Buch zum ersten Mal las, fand ich es witzig, dass sich der Autor so oft an mich als Leserin wendet, und ich fragte mich, ob er sich wirklich eine Leserin wie mich, mehr als 200 Jahre nach dem Erscheinen des Buches, vorgestellt hatte. Das Buch ist sehr witzig geschrieben und hat einen sehr amüsanten Stil, der unter anderem deshalb so vergnüglich ist, weil der Autor immer wieder den Leser anspricht. Es ist ein dickes Buch über das Findelkind Tom Jones, dem wahrscheinlich alles passiert, was einem Menschen so passieren kann. Er wird als Baby im Bett eines reichen Adligen gefunden, was ich ein sehr seltsames Setting fand. An diesem Landsitz wird er wie ein Sohn aufgezogen, natürlich wird er zum Opfer von allerhand Intrigen, bis er am Ende glücklich wird. Es ist einer der ersten Romane, die es in der englischen Sprache gab. Und nach all den Jahren kann man ihn immer noch sehr gut lesen.… (mer)

"It is much easier to make good men wise, than to make bad men good."

The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, as the title suggest is about the life of Tom Jones, the main character, and in truth it is an early rom-com. As a baby, Tom Jones was left to the care of Squire Allworthy, a prominent and wealthy landowner in Somerset. Despite his inauspicious start in life Tom was raised by the Squire and his sister, Bridget, as though he was part of their family.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Blifil begins courting Bridget and eventually, they are married and have a son, William. The novel highlights the contrasting personas of Tom and William Blifil. On one hand, Tom is crude and unrefined but has a heart of gold, whereas Blifil is cultured but is greedy and calculating. Bilfil tries to discredit Tom's with the latter's love interest, Sophia Western and marry her himself but is only interested in the fortune that she would bring to any marriage.

The novel is also packed with minor characters who explore different human virtues: kindness and wickedness, greed and honesty, justice and injustice. There are the good Samaritans, bullies, shady characters, the greedy and the generous, loyal and disloyal, promiscuous women and gossip mongers. Throughout, there is Tom, who is both perfect and flawed at the same time. The novel also explores the position of women in 18th-century Britain and their general lack of power.

Despite its length it has a very straightforward plot. The novel is divided into 18 smaller books, with each book having an introductory chapter, as well as commentaries scattered throughout the book. Although the truth and mystery shrouding Tom's birth was promised early on in the novel it isn't revealed until its climax and it took me totally by surprise. The ending has the feel of fairy tale to it because “they all lived happily ever after.”

Overall, 'Tom Jones' is a lengthy but relatively light read. It is straightforward and easier to understand than some classics and made me smile at times. I particularly liked Squire Western's character whom I found rather comical however, I also found it a little repetitive at times, hence my rating, but I'm glad that I've finally read it.… (mer)