full title
Tom Jones
author
Henry Fielding
type of work
Novel
genre
Epic comic romance; Bildungsroman
language
English
time and place written
1745, England
date of first publication
1749
publisher
A. Millar, London
narrator
Anonymous
point of view
The narrator predominantly speaks in the first person singular, but
occasionally slips into a Victorian first person plural "we." The last quarter
of the novel is partly epistolary, with letters embedded in the prose. The
narrator is essentially omniscient and fluctuates between the minds of various
characters.
tone
The narrator's tone is constantly ironic. There has been much debate, however,
about what kind of irony Fielding employs, and critics have coined various terms
to describe the narrative tone, which is unique to Fielding.
tense
Past
setting (time)
c. 1745
setting (place)
England (mainly Somersetshire, Bristol, Upton, London)
protagonist
Tom Jones
major conflict
Tom Jones and Sophia Western cannot marry, since Tom is believed to be a
foundling bastard and Sophia's father wishes her to marry someone of her own
gentile class.
rising action
Tom and Sophia fall in love, Allworthy banishes Tom, Sophia runs away from
Squire Western to London, Tom has an affair with Lady Bellaston .
climax
Tom is thrown into prison for "killing" Fitzpatrick in a duel.
falling action
Tom's friends rally to reunite him with Sophia and clear his name, Blifil's
deceit is discovered.
themes
Virtue as action rather than thought, the impossibility of stereotypical
categorization, the tension between Art and Artifice
motifs
Food, travel, the law, the stage
symbols
Sophia's muff
foreshadowing
The narrator engages in constant self-conscious foreshadowing of the events of
the upcoming chapter or book
