Contents introduction Chapter I. Henry Fielding – a biography

2.2. Contemporary Criticism
The main theme of the novel is the contrast between the good nature of Tom Jones, flawed but eventually corrected by his love for the virtuous Sophia West, and the hypocrisy of his half-brother Blifil . Minor themes include several other examples of virtue notably Squire Allworthy , hypocrisy notably Twakkum, and evil such as Mrs. Western and Ensign Northerton, and occasionally repentance such as Square and Miss Waters, née. Jones.
Both the introductory chapters of each book and the intertwined commentaries reveal lengthy themes. For example, the opening chapters are about bad writers and critics who have absolutely nothing to do with the plot but apologize to the author and the novel itself; and the author's commentary on several characters strongly opposes Methodism, calling it fanatical and heretical, and implies a connection between Methodism and hypocrites like the young Blyfil .
The novel is set against the backdrop of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The characters take on various aspects of the rebellion, which was an attempt to restore Roman Catholicism as the religion established in England and overthrow the glorious revolution. Once upon a time, Sophia West was even mistaken for Bonnie Jenny Cameron, who was the mistress of Prince Charlie. Well- behaved heroes are often moderately loyal and supportive of the Anglican or even Hanoverian dynasty, malevolent heroes lady western or misguided heroes partridge Jacobite or like the squire western anti-. It could be Hannover.¹⁰
Tom Jones first appeared and was widely read and reviewed. This topic is still of scientific interest. Even 80 years after its publication, the fact that literary figures such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Sir Walter Scott commented on it is a measure of its importance. Tom Jones , like Fielding, put men at the pole.
Holeridge felt that Tom Jones had "one of the three most perfect plots ever planned". Coleridge was amazed by Fielding's ability to convey the essence of the character, regardless of the actions of the protagonist: "If I want a servant or a mechanic, I want to know what he will do - but I need to know who my friend is. And no writer has shown this important distinction as well as Fielding. Scott, as noted in the introduction, considered Fielding to be the father of the English novel. In his work, published in 1821, he said: Tom Jones is the truth and human nature itself, and it has an inestimable advantage over all previous works of fiction of this kind."
Rival writer Samuel Richardson was less impressed. He noted that Fielding's autobiographical plots and characters reflected the paucity of his imagination. Richardson refused to read Tom Jones and was worried about the number of friends he was reading! Samuel Johnson also disliked neither Fielding nor Tom Jones :
“Fielding is… downright… barren… Richardson was saying… if he didn’t know who Fielding was, he would have to believe he wasn’t asparagus … There is Richardson’s letter, Heart has more information about. , everything than Tom Jones.
Old England described Tom Jones as "a colorful tale of misfortune , adultery and adultery ". While the author acknowledges the use of these themes as plot tools, the rest of this article, starting with Tom Jones 's next chapter on law and language, focuses on Fielding's unique, contemporary portrayal of lawyers and law. According to the author, this is the most important recurring theme in " Tom Jones ", and its content and the way Fielding draws the reader into his legal world reveal the lawyer's superior writing skills.¹¹
Fielding gives Tom Jones links to lawyers, solicitors, court and pseudo-hearings, legal issues, wording of the courts, and evidence. According to Mutter, Fielding's theatrical career was responsible for the joke in " Tom Jones" . What dominates this book is its legal background, a parody of legal institutions and employees, and themes of compassion and justice.
Section A contains an analysis of the themes of justice, mercy, and judgment. Section B details Fielding's use of analogy to make "testing" a recurring theme. Section C discusses Fielding's use of metaphors, especially those related to the squire western and hunting themes directly related to modern hunting laws. This section provides an analysis of Squire Allworthy . Section D shows how Tom Jones defines the role of a judge in a lawsuit for Fielding's student.