Tom Jones - Still Rocking For Over 260 Years

[Prince Smiles]

Just finished, Tom Jones, a Foundling. A picaresque story of sex, treachery, hypocrisy, deceit, dishonour; honour, moral fibre; set in the time of the Jacobite upraising of 1745-6.

Two of the many themes I found interesting were that of, arranged marriages and true love over parental greed.

The plot of the book does indeed live up to its reputation; brilliantly written and laid out.
It’s a plot that will keep you on your toes for sure.

The humour of the book takes many forms: mutual misunderstanding, slapstick, irony, burlesque, banter…

It is hard to fault the novel; however, one annoying thing was that Sophia Western’s father, Squire Western’s speech was written in local Somerset dialogue and hard at times to decipher.

On more of a personal level, I am pleased to have read the book which was so influential on Charles Dickens’ earlier work.

I highly recommend Tom Jones to anyone who would like a very comic book with a brilliant plot. A cornerstone of English Literature written by Henry Fielding who was not only a novelist, but championed for the abolishment of public hangings and helped form the first police forces

It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
but when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry!

[radiantsar]

Jones is a Bro! e.g. 1 2.

[Charles Darnay]

This is indeed a great book. There is some brilliant satire an salient points on writing.

[dfloyd]

brought the book back into the mainstream of readers. A paperback was produced, and that was the first time I read the book. A young Albert Finney was Tom Jones and Squire Western was admirably played by Hugh Griffith. A&E eventually produced a miniseries for tv, but I always thought it was a shame that this was one Masterpiece Theatre didn't do. Since the movie was produced, I have had three very nice copies of the book,

The only other of Fielding's novels which approaches the irony and comedic drama of Tom Jones is Joseph Andrews. It doesn't quite reach the stature of Tom Jones, but I would reccomend it.

In the nineteenth century, one US senator called another one Black Bart, and the result was a duel. Today's lawmakers would not be literate enough to understand this insult.

[Frances69]

it is indeed a great book

[Prince Smiles]

brought the book back into the mainstream of readers. A paperback was produced, and that was the first time I read the book. A young Albert Finney was Tom Jones and Squire Western was admirably played by Hugh Griffith. A&E eventually produced a miniseries for tv, but I always thought it was a shame that this was one Masterpiece Theatre didn't do. Since the movie was produced, I have had three very nice copies of the book,

The only other of Fielding's novels which approaches the irony and comedic drama of Tom Jones is Joseph Andrews. It doesn't quite reach the stature of Tom Jones, but I would reccomend it.

In the nineteenth century, one US senator called another one Black Bart, and the result was a duel. Today's lawmakers would not be literate enough to understand this insult.

dfloyd,
I do have the 1963 movie and intend to treat myself with a viewing now that I have finished the book. You forgot to mention Joan Greenwood who plays Lady Bellaston. I adore Joan Greenwood. Her voice alone makes me weak at the knees. I can't wait to see how she portrays Lady Bellaston.

I am interested in reading Joseph Andrews. In Tom Jones, Henry Fielding mentions Mr. Abraham Andrews (who is the parson in Joseph Andrews)

Penultimate Page 821, Penguin Classic:

Mr. Allworthy hath lately taken Mr. Abraham Andrews into his house, of which Sophia is grown immoderately fond, and declares he shall have the tuition of her children.

A few more random thoughts on TJ:

I have realized how little real descriptive writing there is in TJ.
I have just started reading Pere Poriot and the first seven and a half pages is taken up with describing Madame Vauquer's boarding-house.
Fielding just says, this scene is like William Hogarth's "The Rake's Progress" and this scene in reminiscent of " The Distressed Poet", et cetera and it works.

Mr. Allworthy's Paradise Hall isn't really described, but the reader seems to know exactly what it looks like.

Tom Jones is banished from 'Paradise' Hall. A nice little biblical reference there.

I suppose it is just as well Mr. Fielding didn't go into long descriptions of the inanimate, the book would have been well over 1,000 pages in length if he had.

[Prince Smiles]

it is indeed a great book

+1

[dfloyd]

so I can't remember everything about it. For a more detailed movie, try the one made for TV. It was produced by A&E and goes into a lot more detail since there are 5 or 6 DVDs.

The Folio Society published all of Fielding's novels inserted in a single slipcase. I have read them all: Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews, Jonathon Wilde, and Pamela. I read them all because I had them, but I would only recommend Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews.

Fielding's popularity crossed the pond to America. He was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite authors.

[mal4mac]

If you liked that, try Moll Flanders next... or Nicholas Nickleby, or Don Quixote...

The "picaresque" novel is a wonderful non-serious sub-genre of serious fiction. The Wikipedia page has more suggestions. Anyone read Kim? That's one I really want to read after reading some of Kipling's picaresque short stories (Check out Indian Tales...)

Charles Dickens wrote his first six novels in the picaresque form, with Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) being the transitional novel to his later more serious works. All of them are superb, Pickwick Papers is another one very close to "Tom Jones" in spirit.

Other ones wot I've read and would vouch for:

Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
J.B. Priestley The Good Companions
John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces
Vanity Fair (Becky Sharp Run, Tom, run!)

[Svidrigailov]

dfloyd,
I do have the 1963 movie and intend to treat myself with a viewing now that I have finished the book. You forgot to mention Joan Greenwood who plays Lady Bellaston. I adore Joan Greenwood. Her voice alone makes me weak at the knees. I can't wait to see how she portrays Lady Bellaston.

The film's a ribald affair, full of energy and wise to the pitfalls of adaptations past, but I still found it an unruly disappointment. The director and Finney have distanced themselves from the acclaim that surrounded the production, and I'm not surprised.

I've even let myself be discouraged from reading Fielding after watching it, but I should know better after Kubrick's Barry Lyndon humourlessly reduced Thackeray to an irrelevant relic.

"I just felt I was being used. I wasn't involved, and was bored most of the time."
-Finney's take on things.

[Tallulah]

Just finished, Tom Jones, a Foundling. A picaresque story of sex, treachery, hypocrisy, deceit, dishonour; honour, moral fibre; set in the time of the Jacobite upraising of 1745-6.

Two of the many themes I found interesting were that of, arranged marriages and true love over parental greed.

The plot of the book does indeed live up to its reputation; brilliantly written and laid out.
It’s a plot that will keep you on your toes for sure.

The humour of the book takes many forms: mutual misunderstanding, slapstick, irony, burlesque, banter…

It is hard to fault the novel; however, one annoying thing was that Sophia Western’s father, Squire Western’s speech was written in local Somerset dialogue and hard at times to decipher.

On more of a personal level, I am pleased to have read the book which was so influential on Charles Dickens’ earlier work.

I highly recommend Tom Jones to anyone who would like a very comic book with a brilliant plot. A cornerstone of English Literature written by Henry Fielding who was not only a novelist, but championed for the abolishment of public hangings and helped form the first police forces

It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
but when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry!

This is on my list. I've owned the book for several years now but haven't tackled it yet due to the size. But, I'm down to only 4 unread books in my collection so I'll be getting to it in the next few months. I'll come back and let y'all know what my impressions are after I read it...

[Prince Smiles]

This is on my list. I've owned the book for several years now but haven't tackled it yet due to the size. But, I'm down to only 4 unread books in my collection so I'll be getting to it in the next few months. I'll come back and let y'all know what my impressions are after I read it...

Wait for a windy cold rainy night when the ivy outside is tapping on the window pane. Boil up a goodly pot of Earl Grey. Sit comfy in your reading chair. The only audible sound; the ticking of the Longcase Grandfather. Commence the reading.

[PabloQ]

It's on my list to read this year. I wasn't sure I was going to keep it until I read these comments. It stays. Thank you.