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    The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
    The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
    The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling

    Written by Henry Fielding

    Narrated by Maurice West

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The ‘Voice of the Year’ competition introduced and sponsored by Naxos AudioBooks and The Times books pages, edited by Erica Wagner, took place in Spring 2004. Readers without any formal drama training or professional acting experience were invited to send in recordings of a short extract of either Dickens, Austen or from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and an own choice. The judging panel – Martin Jarvis, Juliet Stevenson, and Anton Lesser, with John Tydeman, David Timson, and Christina Hardyment (audiobook reviewer for The Times), under the chairmanship of Naxos AudioBooks’ managing director Nicolas Soames – chose the winner and finalists from nearly one thousand entries. First prize was to read a classic for Naxos AudioBooks. The winner was Maurice West, a fifty-five-year-old English teacher from Croydon. His chosen piece was from Tom Jones and he was invited to read an extended abridgement of the same novel. ‘We were very impressed by the natural storytelling talent shown by Mr West, with a strong narrative character, a sense of period style as well as a firm grasp of the many characters who appear,’ said Nicolas Soames. After graduating from Cambridge, Mr West applied to LAMDA on the main acting course and was accepted. Unfortunately, he didn’t have sufficient funds to take up the offer and had to confine his thespian interests to amateur dramatics. Now, later in life, he has a chance to open a new thread of activity. This recording of Tom Jones is an important addition to the eighteenth-century audio library on Naxos AudioBooks.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateMay 1, 2005
    ISBN9789629545307
    Author

    Henry Fielding

    Henry Fielding (1707-1754) was an English novelist, dramatist, and prominent magistrate. He was born into noble lineage, yet was cut off from his allowance as a young man and subsequently began a career writing plays. He wrote over 25 dramatic works, primarily satires addressing political injustice. When Fielding's career as a playwright ended with new censorship laws, he turned to writing fiction. His work as a novelist is considered to have ushered in a new genre of literature. Among his best known masterpieces are The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild (1743) and The History of Tom Jones (1749).

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    Reviews for The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling

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    • 4/5
      Having read Sterne's Tristram Shandy and Homer's Odyssey to name two thematically related however chronologically different literary creations I should have been ready for Fielding's foundling. However, it is taking a while to warm up to Fielding's style of storytelling. What we have is an omnipresent author/narrator whose story includes many fascinating characters, one of whom is that author/narrator himself. The reader is treated to a series of nineteen books each containing several chapters the first of which in each case is an essay by the author about the story itself or just about most anything the author feels is relevant or necessary for the reader's edification. But I digress, under the influence of Fielding, from the story itself which is billed as a history of Tom Jones who, as the name suggests, is a sort of every-man, a more common version of Odysseus or Don Quixote for the eighteenth century. The history is a fiction and as such is populated by fictional characters. The characters surrounding him, from his teachers, Thwackum and Square, to the Squires, Allworthy and Western, are clearly drawn with wit and wisdom; lest I forget the women for Tom has a strong and healthy interest in them whether they are low like Molly or high like Sophia Western -- women continue to perplex Tom and enliven the plot. And Tom has a good opinion of himself as the narrator notes, "Can any man have a higher notion of the rule of right and the eternal fitness of things?" (Book IV, Ch. 4). As I entered the concluding chapters of this lively novel I found myself looking for a word to sum up my experience. I think I have found that word -- cornucopia. The abundance of characters, stories, places, and all that goes with each of these can best be considered a cornucopia. These melded with Fielding's continual insertions through essays and commentaries begins to suggest to me why this novel is considered great - one of the first of its kind in modern literature. I also find myself comparing the hero of this story to other literary heroes whose name adorns the title of their stories. For example, David Copperfield, Adam Bede, Pendennis, and Jude the Obscure come to mind. All of these owe at least a part of their literary heritage to Fielding's Tom. Even though there is a significant change in the psychology of the characters from David to Jude, the foundation for them all and many others is the History of Tom Jones.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      When reviewing a classic, I try to discuss not the books own merits (which can be easily found elsewhere) but rather its accessibility to the modern reader. Mid-18th century English is not so far removed from Shakespeare, and it definitely took effort to parse the long, flowery sentence structure. Once that is accomplished, the reader must also distinguish the bare meaning of the words being said with the overblown, superlative laden verbal mannerisms of the age.What remains is a charming story, and one that is remarkable on many levels. A modern reader may find its plot simple, its ending contrived, and its characters cliched, but just consider that all of these elements were revolutionary at the time. The best way to learn from history is to read between the lines of a novel such as this, to consider the shape of the story and what sort of society might have produced it.Well worth the effort and the time invested to read it.
    • 4/5
      I read this right after I read W. Somerset Maugham's book, The World's Ten Greatest Novels. I wanted to be sure that I read all ten and I read those I had not already read. I found Tom Jones good reading, although as I remember I was somewhat dismayed by his cavalier approach to personal morality.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best books I've ever read. The plot follows the ups and downs of Tom's fortunes as he travels the English countryside. While this in itself is entertaining and very well crafted, what sets this book apart is the wit, humor, and observations of the narrator. We get to meet a rich cast of characters, from all of the social strata of 18th century England. The protagonist, Tom Jones, is a generous, empathetic soul with a heat of gold. His main flaw is his...love of women. His naiveté gets him into trouble on occasion. Most of the characters in this book, whether they hurt or help Tom, do so from selfish motives. This book, with its intricate plot, is full of wit, humor, and humanity. My only real criticism, and it's a small one, is the heavy reliance on coincidence.
    • 5/5
      I thought this book was a rip-roaring read, full of action, romance, humour and suspense, all set in the English countryside of eighteenth century England and London. Cant see anyone who would like this book.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite novel, and I have read a lot of 'em. (What can I say, I'm old!)Tom Jones offers every pleasure a reader could want; rip-roaring humor, cliffhanging suspense, a brilliant philosophical treatise from the author every so often; a tender love story, a Bildungsroman, a meditation on growing old gracefully; a magnificent cast of 18th-century rogues, strumpets, scheming noblemen, gentle girls and pompous fools; ambition, lust, malice, humor, passion, beauty, betrayal--just read it!!Go on, read it right now!
    • 5/5
      A long, rollicking, bawdy, picaresque story, full of twists, turns and coincidence. The mid 18th century English prose is a challenge to follow.
    • 5/5
      Tom Jones was one of the first forthrightly fictional novels in English, where the author didn't try to frame it as a true story, such as Moll Flanders or Robinson Crusoe. I think the best way to appreciate it is like a connoisseur of early cars such as the Model-T. It has its own beauty and grace, yet is largely impractical by modern standards. It allows one transport to another age. It is fragile and delicate, yet full of a spirit missing in the modern world. The best way to enjoy it is to pretend you are a reader from the mid-18th century, and new vistas of understanding will come forth. History books often talk about the nature of the period as family oriented, locally oriented, manorialism, class distinctions - in Tom Jones it comes to living light, every page is a gold mine to understand the world just on the cusp of the Revolutions of the 19th century (political and economic). As a work of art its significance is hard to overestimate - Dickens for example was clearly influenced. As a narrative the length is difficult but makes the climaxes that much sweeter. As a writer Fielding was a genius, and knew so, and said so, and was right., his novel has become immortal.
    • 5/5
      Fielding is a master of portraying the foibles of the human condition. His sense of the comic underpinnings of all serious endeavors is acute.
    • 2/5
      Its been a long time since I read this book, but I remember it being long and uninteresting. Tom had a lot of adventures throughout the book, but for some reason I never got into his character and found myself looking forward finishing the book so it would be over.
    • 5/5
      So, I give this five stars, but, you know, not every five star book should be read by every person. If you have great patience, and are willing to admit that your tastes have been formed by the nineteenth century novel and then by certain aspects of modern literature; if you're willing to test your (my) assumption that novels are best when they're realistic or modernist; if you don't mind a bit of slap and tickle... then you should read this. If you want to judge a book based on whether its characters are 'round;' if you think the best book doesn't really have a narrator at all, let alone one who keeps talking at you; and, most importantly, if you're the sort of reader/critic Fielding spends about two pages out of every hundred mercilessly slagging off, then you should probably avoid this like the plague. If you're not sure what kind of person you are, read 'Joseph Andrews.' It's much shorter, and nowhere near as good, but a good litmus test. If you're the second kind of person listed here, don't worry, I'm not judging you for being completely bound by your historical moment. Much. But you are missing out on one of the greatest stories in English lit.
    • 5/5
      It took me two tries to finish Tom Jones, but I am glad I did. When I first attempted it, I must not have been in the correct mood for it because I enjoyed it immensely in my second attempt. The novel follows Jones through his torment of not being able to have the woman he loves. The problem lies not with her but with eighteenth century British society. Her father will only consent for her to marry a man of fortune and consents to have her instead marry Blifil. The exact relationships between these characters are complicated, and I will not go into details about them so as not to spoil the novel for those who have not read it.Also of interest are the chapters that Fielding uses to preface each of the eighteen books that make up the novel. Some of these chapters are rather dry and all could be skipped without affecting the reader's enjoyment of the novel, as Fielding notes. However, I did find them to be worth reading both for Fielding's more serious notes about the writing process and literary criticism as well as his more humorous contributions. The greatest strength of this novel is Fielding's unique ability to describe the exact qualities of each character. Fielding truly knew people. Despite the fact that this novel was written over 250 years ago, Fielding's characters are motivated by the motivations and act in the same ways that people would act today.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This was another pleasure to read in that slow, reflective 18th century style that is filled with humour, character, incident and social observation. The plot is convoluted but easy to follow, and the main story of Tom’s sexual misadventures on the way to virtuous love is never really in question – the only issue is how many diversions he will have to go through before he gets where he should be. The characters are satires, mainly of the landed gentry and the titled, although it’s always clear where the lines of power and authority lie (so much clearer than in our contemporary times.) Much of the humour and enjoyment of the novel comes from Fielding’s ironic descriptions of his characters’ motivations and actions, and his observations on the society they live in – apparently hypocritical at all levels.Through the satire and his ongoing commentary, Fielding points to the inequality of women in society, while also pointing out that many of the women are more intelligent and well read than the men they are linked to. The strongest storyline aside from Tom’s is the conflict between the strong-minded Sophia and the idiot father she loves, but who wants to command her obedience. It ends only when their two interests finally come together in the union of two large estates.Fielding also shows the stark contrast between the wealthy and the common people, although with no suggestion that that inequality might be a problem. Poor people struggle with their lot, and sometimes don’t make it, just like the higher class people who run out of money. But there are both good and venal lower class people as well as upper class ones. In fact, one of the interesting features of the book is that many of the characters have complex morals. They may at times be venal, and at other times generous and loyal. In this way, they are less stereotypes than the characters in many other novels where most characters except for the leading ones are either good or bad, with little shading. One of the few exceptions is the good Squire Allworthy, whose kindness and generosity are exceeded only by his wisdom and honour. He’s a bit godly, and a contrast to the more realistic common characters. The other exception is his evil nephew, whose unscrupulous lies, greed and lack of honour are also unmixed.Tom’s early relatively carefree life and his kind nature set him up as a good person with a natural morality, but it seems that that’s not enough. Fielding makes a strong argument for morality in the last parts of the novel, and his favoured morality is Christian. (The Christian clerics, however, don’t come off well – in fact, of the representatives of Christian and “natural” morality, although both are extremes, it’s the natural philosopher who comes off best after his deathbed conversion to real Christianity.) And while it seems that Tom’s natural inclination to enjoy life, including his relationships with women, is at first carefree, it later gets him intro trouble and he has to renounce his free sexuality to enter a relationship with his true love. (Much like Fielding did, the introduction suggests.) Interestingly, however, while Tom is a willing participant in a range of sexual adventures, it seems to be the women who initiate the relationships and get Tom in trouble. So Tom is a sort of innocent, much in contrast to the reality of young men of privilege, I suspect. The story of his parentage, however, shows that women cannot enjoy the same carefree sexuality that he does.I’m glad to have read this after Mason & Dixon, because it shows how closely Thomas Pynchon copied an 18th century style in his writing, with the absurdity, authorial commentary and extraordinary characters. The formal style of Tom Jones is quite different from the informality of Mason & Dixon, but both have a complex plot, complex characters, and long discourses on side topics. But in spite of the rambling stories, it was always a pleasure to come back to both of these novels because their worlds are so rich and full of enjoyment.
    • 4/5
      The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling was written by Fielding in 1749 and is regarded as one of the first novels. As a blend of bildungsroman and picaresque novel it follows the life of Tom Jones from conception to a point towards the middle of his life. The book only features a small set of characters that often surface and resurface throughout the book as Jones grows up, leaves home and finally ... well, see for yourself, no spoilers here. The second most important character in the novel is Sophia Western, the love of Jones' life. She is a very well-educated upper-class girl whose beauty Fielding describes in great detail and probably hyperbole. As Jones is a foundling who has come into the well-reputed house of Mr Allworthy, the novel can also be read under aspects of class differences and whether ones birth or ones upbringing determines the class of someone.I found the novel not as hard to follow as other 18th century books once I got attuned to the language used. My edition also had a glossary and notes, the former of which I did not make any use of. The notes helped in understanding allusions to Fielding's contemporaries and putting events in perspective and context. Also, as my Latin is somewhat rusty, I found the translations from Latin into English quite helpful at times.The novel is divided into eighteen books, each of which is prefaced by the omniscient narrator. This preface sets the tone and establishes a moral framework to interpret what is to come in a light the narrator sees fit. At times the preface treats the novel itself on a meta level. For example, there is a preface about the use of prefaces that is actually quite entertaining. Both the structure and the comments the narrator makes throughout the story provide 18th-century moral guidance for the reader and at the same time can be regarded in an ironic way that entertains by contradicting auctorial comments and actual motives of the characters. This contradiction can also be seen in the way the narrator treats his story as a 'history', that is a narrative based on facts, and the narrated events that sometimes require a certain degree of suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader as events do not always seem as coincidental as they are portrayed.Tom Jones did not always make me want to continue reading to see what might happen to Jones next, but it also had parts where it actually did make me want to read the next chapter instantly. On the whole, 3.5 stars for a novel that I would probably have to read again (and yet again) to grasp the full depth it can provide.
    • 5/5
      Who reads this and laughs not at all may be forgiven only as a simpleton, and does not comprehend.Who reads this and laughs but a little is too dour and prideful to be of much use, and only laughs when he cannot help it.Who reads this and laughs a score is the wretched false-wit, and only laughs when it suits his crowd.Who reads and laughs but once a chapter has a mirthful soul, if no great love for words.Who reads and laughs at every page shall be my boon companion, and a kiss for each grinning cheek.Who reads and laughs at twice and thrice a page shall be my worthy better, and may they forgive my endless queries.
    • 3/5
      This guy Jones claims to be completely in love with one woman, but then still sleazes his way through England, sleeping with nearly every female he encounters, but oh, that's okay, he's still in love with the original young lady (who, by the way, loves him back to distraction and doesn't seem to mind his extracurriculars much at all) and after all, he's really a nice young lad and Boys Will Be Boys. Gross.
    • 5/5
      A great book. It's very similar to his earlier novel Joseph Andrews, with like characters, plot and themes but here writ much larger and full of the same energy.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful, if maybe a bit long by 21st century standards. Humorous throughout with a underlying seriousness of purpose. Fielding's personality and wit shine through, epecially in the introductory chapters. One of my all time favorite novels. Will read it again.
    • 1/5
      Bored out of my mind! This is the 2nd time I have tried reading this novel. I give up!
    • 3/5
      This book took me months to read because I could only stomach it in small doses. It wasn't that the story or the writing was bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea. The book reminded me a lot of slap-stick comedy; which I abhor and don't find comedic at all. This is the story of Tom Jones, a bastard, raised by a good and decent man. Tom's adopted father doted on him and that made everybody else jealous. Most of the book is about those plotting against Tom, who for all his foibles is a kind-hearted person that would help anybody from the dregs of society to Lords and Ladies.
    • 4/5
      It was scandalous in its time due to the bawdy content, the romantic forays of the main characters, and the topic of incest. It would be outrageous today for someone to take so long to convey that plot. The plot is good, and full of nuance and interesting tangents. Still, 875 pages is about 400 too many. Great characters with great names: Thwackup, Square, Allworthy, Sophia, Squire Western, Bilfil, Honour, and Black George. "Jones" seems out of place. Perhaps the most amusing is Squire Western. I was consistently entertained Thwackum and Square represent the idealogical differences between honor and virtue. The work is full of references to then modern writers, like Locke, and of scraps of Latin from Horace, Cicero, et al. There is a lot of truth here about love, beauty, relationships and human nature. It's a fun exposition, but a long trip.
    • 3/5
      A little dull in places I thought but I did enjoy the adventures he had and the purity of his love for Sophia.
    • 4/5
      The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling has become known over the decades as simply Tom Jones and is a humorous novel by Henry Fielding. It was first published in 1749 and is considered to be one of the earliest of English novels. While the humor is often presented as a farce and at times seems downright silly, it nevertheless made for a fun and interesting read.The author presents his story with many asides to the reader and often telegraphs his intentions in advance with his descriptive chapter descriptions or the colourful names he gives his characters. So we are assured that Squire Allworthy is a very good man, while Mr. Thwackum is heavy handed and likes to dole out physical punishments. Personally I found Tom Jones rather an insipid character but he was the perfect canvas to help reflect the many vivid characters that he came into contact with. At over 900 pages, the book at times was rather tedious, but the author’s clever use of words, his satire of both the day’s social and political conventions, and the many turbulent yet comic events kept the pages turning. Often touted as a history of bastardism, fornication and adultery, Tom Jones is also a romance with two star-crossed lovers, the lusty Tom and the strong-willed Sophia battling the odds to obtain their happy ending.I listened to an audio version of this classic, as read by Bill Homewood, who did an excellent job of bringing this book to life, and, I am positive, raised my rating with his reading style. Reflective, philosophical yet lively and very entertaining I found [Tom Jones] to be an immersive reading experience that was well worth the time invested.
    • 4/5
      Poor Tom: an innocent abroad, surrounded by a world of hypocrisy but for his benevolent adoptive father and the perfect Sophia. Even they can be turned on him by circumstantial evidence, and soon he is logging miles on the highway of despair. There are adventures along the way as he remains ever ready to help a stranger out, and sometimes he even meets with kindness, but how will Tom ever be welcomed back home or win Sophia's hand?The initial reception of this novel was a bit shaky, as its publication was blamed for subsequent earthquakes in London. Its risqué and earthy content was considered scandalous, and the famed contemporary critic Samuel Johnson had nothing but contempt for it. Hundreds of years later it's considered a classic with bawdy bits to rival Chaucer's Miller Tale: fart jokes, adulterous liaisons, pratfall fisticuffs - and Fielding's narrative voice is present throughout to leap in with playful commentary. There's some foreshadowing of what would be tackled more seriously in other works like Richardson's "Clarissa", and more fun than Makepeace could conjure up in "Vanity Fair".It bears credentials as one of the earliest English novels, maybe even the first modern novel as we understand them today. Fielding was openly feeling his way through the process of establishing a model for this medium, even recording some of his thoughts during those narrative asides. He was also just plain having fun. For thematic elements there's the exposé of hypocrisy at all levels of society, but for me it was earthquake-inducing scenes like Molly's wielding of the thigh bone as the muse sings that really made the reading worthwhile.
    • 4/5
      A ribald tale about an attractive man pursued by various women. A funny, irreverent work, well written and memorable.
    • 4/5
      This is a very early novel, published in 1749, and it's telling in several ways this was written when the form was young. There are eccentric spellings, erratic capitalizations, and dialogue isn't set off in the convention we're used to, but has various speakers lumped into one paragraph. There are archaic formulations such as "says he" rather than "he said" and such archaic words as nay, doth, hath, yon, thou, thee, etc. Swear words such as "damn" are presented as "d--n." I felt the various parts of the narration--description, dialogue, thoughts, action--are much better balanced in later novels. And the omniscient narrator here, sometimes breaking the fourth wall into first person, is very, very intrusive, with long digressions, some chapter-length, on such subjects as the novel's form or the nature of love. Some parts to my tastes were far too preachy, but having just read Robinson Crusoe before this, that religiosity is just another feature of the era. This did make for rather tedious going at times, especially before I got acclimated to the style, but for the most part the plot and comic aspects kept me chugging along.It helps that Tom himself is much more likable than I expected from what I had heard of the novel--or even the description on the back of the book. I'd heard this was a picaresque tale with a hero that could be called a rake. But although he's no monk, I wouldn't describe Tom that way. He's neither rapist nor callous seducer. In fact, he's usually the seduced rather than the seducer. And he is young, after all; no older than twenty-one at the end of the novel. He says of himself: Nor do I pretend to the Gift of Chastity... I have been guilty with Women, I own it; but I am not conscious that I have ever injured any--Nor would I, to procure Pleasure to myself, be knowingly the Cause of Misery to any human Being.When Tom seemingly gets Molly Seagrim pregnant, he's quite willing to stand by her and marry her, even though she's poor. He'd been raised as a gentleman, and even though being base-born and not the heir doesn't mean he can look to marry the lady-of-the-manor next door, he could have done materially better than that. It's not until he finds out she's being unfaithful that he breaks things off with her. He shows himself generous and compassionate throughout. Tom's greatest fault indeed seems a naivete that allows others to take advantage of him. I felt more mixed about the female characters and especially Tom's love Sophia Western. She's a bit too blushing and apt to swoon--on the other hand, she doesn't let herself be rolled over but takes action to change her fate. It's obvious Fielding does have respect for women and although like the men, they might be fools, often his female characters are more intelligent and better educated than their male counterparts. Note the maid Jenny Jones, who is more learned than the schoolmaster who taught her. To be honest, it's the secondary comic characters that have the most vividness like the Sancho Panza like Mr Partridge or the affected Aunt Western and uncouth Squire Western.This was a surprisingly enjoyable novel on the whole, even if I wasn't as enchanted by it as I was by its comic descendents by Austen and Thackeray. I immediately felt the kinship to books such as Sense and Sensibility and Vanity Fair in the sparkling wit, the ironic tone, and wickedly sharp satire, even if Fielding is more genial than Thackeray, and more bawdy than Austen.
    • 5/5
      One of the first, and still one of best, novels in English literature
    • 3/5
      Way better than Clarissa, this is a satirical book about a rake that is funny and light hearted. It's faster and easier and gives you a good historical perspective
    • 5/5
      Fielding is a master craftsman! In this book he managed to make loving into an art and embellished it with great humor. Don't we all wish we lived life with the same vigor?!