Henry Fielding a Novelist About author Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 ~ 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humor and satire"! His comic novel Tom Jones is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as the founders of the traditional English novel. He alse holds a place in law enforcement history, having used his authority as a magistrate to found the Bow Street Runners, London’s first intermittently funded, full-time police force. Fielding was born on 22 April 1707 atSharpham, Somerset, and educated at Eton College, where he began a lifelong. friendship with William Pitt the Elder His mother died when he was 11. A suit for custody was brought by his grandmother against his charming but irresponsible father, Lt Gen. Edmund Fielding. The settlement placed Henry in his grandmother's care, but he continued to see his father in London“! In 1728, Henry tried to abduct his cousin Sarah Andrews (with whom he was infatuated) while she was on her way to church, He fled to avoid prosecution In 1728, Fielding traveled to Leiden to study classics and law at the university However, penury forved him back to London, where he began writing for the theatre, Some of his work savagely criticized the govemment of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole. As a novelist Richardson, Fielding, Smollet, and Stern are known as the four wheels of the novel. Among them Fielding's contribution to the English novel is noteworthy. It is true that even before Fielding, Bunyan, Defoe, and Richardson had written novels, But none deserve to be called the father of English novels. It is Fielding who gave a definite form and proper shape to the English novel. He formulated the theory oF novel writing, He made invaluable contributions to the development of plot construction and the art of characterization. He made the novel an effective weapon of social criticism, He tried to advocate a healthy philosophy of life, He imbued his writings with a very solemn purpose. On these grounds, Sir Walter Scott rightly calls him the father of English novel. Plot: Plot before Fielding did not hold much importance. But Fielding revolutionised the concept of plot construction, He employs very coherent and organic plots, He conducts them with utmost skill, The plot of Tom Jones’ is one of the three best plots ever planned, It is a closely-knit organic plot. In short, his plots are thoroughly architectonic, Thus a well organised plot is one of the main contributions of Fielding.‘Comic Epic in Prose; Another contribution of Fielding is his concept of novel as a comic epic in prose, He formulated the theory of novel in his prefaces of Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones. He introduced characters of great variety, He depicted their lives in all its authenticity. Characterisation: Fielding is the ereator of the novel of character, He breathed life into his characters. He peopled the novel with a great crowd of lively and interesting characters. They are compounded of both good and evil elements. Like Shakespeare he portrays all kind of human characters as real human beings, Realism: Fielding is the first realist of the English novel. Common life is the material of his novels, He brings the whole world, as we see it. He reproduced reality faithfully and accurately. He presents a complete and comprehensive picture of the contemporary society. His realism is epical in its range. Thus Fielding is the founder of modern realistic novel. Humour: Fielding employed all types of humour in his novels. In Joseph Andrews it is farcical, in Tom Jones ironical and in Jonathan Wild satirical. His humour is exuberant, spontaneous, tolerant and genial. He lashes out his satire at affectation, vanity, pedantry, hypocrisy, and vice. But he is always human and humane. The irony is a great weapon of his satire. All the great humorists are influenced by Fielding Other Reasons: Fielding is a champion in so many other respects. His great contribution is the localization of the scene. He gives graphic details of Tom's journey to London on the highways, His novels are thoroughly English. His dialogues are lively as well as natural. He was superb craftsman. His art of narration is praiseworthy. He brought a healthy moral vision. He is tolerant of natural human weaknesses but he does not tolerate hypocrisy, He advances a very sound moral philosophy. Thus Fielding's contribution is noteworthy. He gave the novel a great seope. Due to his great contributions, Scott called him 'the father of English novels’. About Fielding’s contribution, Allen says, "The form the novel took in England for more than a hundred years had its origin in Fielding, and in this respect, Smollett, Scott, Dickens, Thackeray, and Meredith all wrote in his shadow".