Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
Henry Fielding (1707–1754)
Read by hosmer_angel, hefyd, JemmaBlythe, Mark F. Smith, Denny Sayers (d. 2015), Maire Rhode, Rachel Lintern, Sarah Jennings, Kalynda, Nikki Sullivan · 67 chapters · 36 h 05
About the book
Tom Jones is a foundling, discovered as a baby in the bed of the kindly landowner Squire Allworthy, and raised in his house. Generous and high-spirited, Tom grows into a young man whose good heart gets him into endless trouble, particularly where his love for the beautiful Sophia Western is concerned. Banished from home, he sets out on a road that leads through inns, brawls, misunderstandings and strokes of luck. Henry Fielding's novel, one of the first great comic novels in English, is packed with characters, jokes and sharp commentary. Sixty-seven parts and over thirty-six hours, read by LibriVox volunteers, make a huge and joyful journey. Fielding is one of the great storytellers, and he keeps the reader entertained from the first page to the last. It is a book to enjoy without hurry, full of surprises and wit, and a must for lovers of the early novel.
Introduction
Henry Fielding (1707 to 1754) was an English novelist, playwright and magistrate, and one of the founders of the English novel. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling appeared in 1749, and it is divided into eighteen books, each of which begins with an essay in which the narrator talks to the reader about writing, morals and human nature. These introductory chapters are part of the pleasure, since they give the work a conversational tone.
The story follows Tom from his childhood on the estate of Squire Allworthy to his adventures on the road and in London. He is a hero who is neither perfect nor villainous, with strong appetites and a warm heart, and Fielding uses him to explore the difference between real goodness and mere respectability. Around Tom there is a large cast of characters, from honest innkeepers to hypocrites and schemers, all drawn with vigor and humor.
Tom Jones has often been praised for its construction. Fielding plans his plot with care, so that the many strands come together at the end, and he enjoys leading the reader to expect one thing before delivering another. It is considered one of the first prose works that can be called a novel in the modern sense.
This recording divides the book into sixty-seven parts and lasts about thirty-six hours. It is read by volunteers of LibriVox. A long listen, of course, but a lively and rewarding one, ideal for a season of commuting or long evenings. Its influence on later novelists, among them Dickens and Thackeray, was considerable, and the narrator's friendly way of speaking to the reader became a model. A book to treasure.
Public domain
Henry Fielding died in 1754: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text