Birthdate: 22nd April 1707
Nationality: English
Bio:
Henry Fielding was born in 1707 in Somerset, England. He came from an aristocratic family and was educated at Eton College and the University of Leyden. However, Fielding did not have a large inheritance, so he needed to support himself financially. After university, he began his career as a writer in order to make a living.
Fielding is considered one of the founders of the realistic novel. In the 1740s, he wrote several novels that satirized English society and the emerging middle class. His most famous work is The History of Tom Jones, published in 1749. Tom Jones follows the adventures of its titular character as he comes of age in England and London. Through Tom’s adventures and misadventures, Fielding was able to subtly critique various aspects of English society from corruption to hypocrisy. Tom Jones was well received and brought Fielding both critical and financial success.
In addition to his novels, Fielding also had a successful career as a magistrate and justice of the peace in London. Through this work, he sought to reform and improve the English legal system which he saw as outdated and inefficient. His time as a magistrate gave him insight into criminal behavior and the inner workings of the law, which influenced his writing. He incorporated much of what he learned about law and crime into his fiction.
Later in life, Fielding’s health declined and he began to suffer from gout and other illnesses. He spent his last few years living in Portugal in search of a warmer climate to help his health. However, his health continued to deteriorate and he passed away in 1754 at the age of 47. Fielding made major contributions to the development of the novel as a serious literary genre and helped establish realism as an important style in fiction. He is considered one of the most influential English writers of the 18th century.
