A masterful work that recaptures the spirit of 18th-century English life, Tom Jones was an instant sensation upon its 1749 publication. The mock epic traces the adventures of its lusty, good-hearted hero as he seeks his fortune in the company of thieves, whores, soldiers, and other vividly drawn characters. Beloved for its bawdy humor and biting social commentary, it ranks among the greatest of comic novels. AUTHOR: Dubbed the father of the English novel by Sir Walter Scott, Henry Fielding (1707 54) was educated at Eton and worked as a barrister, although writing was his true vocation. In 1741 he published Shamela, a parody of Samuel Richardson’s sentimental and moralistic Pamela, followed a year later by Joseph Andrews. In 1749 he produced Tom Jones, his comic masterpiece and an incomparably vivid portrait of English society during the mid-18th century.