Henry Fielding - 'The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon', 'Shamela', and Occasional Writings

by Henry Fielding, Martin C. Battestin

This book completes the authoritative Wesleyan Edition of Fielding's nondramatic writings. It features two of Fielding's classic The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon written as he sailed to Portugal hoping, in vain, to recover his health; and Shamela , the hilarious parody of Richardson's Pamela that led to Joseph Andrews and the beginning of his career as novelist. The volume also includes every other work of Fielding's not to be found in the twelve previous volumes of the nondramatic writings. Here the reader will find in section I, Occasional "The Masquerade"; the unfinished "Cantos"; a burlesque of Pope's "Dunciad"; "Plain Truth"; "A Dialogue between a Beau's Head and his Heels"; "An Epistle to Mr. Lyttleton"; as well as three epilogues and a prologue. In section II, Occasional "A Full Vindication of the Dutchess Dowager of Marlborough"; the translation of Aristophanes' "Plutus, the God of Riches"; Preface to Sarah Fielding's Adventures of David Simple ; "The
Female Husband"; "Ovid's Art of Love Paraphrased"; Preface and letters xl-xliv of Sarah Fielding's Familiar Letters between the Principal Characters in David Simple ; and "A Fragment of a Comment on L. Bolingbroke's Essays". The appendicies include writings recently attributed to Fielding, supplementary material relating to the voyage to Lisbon, and the full the textual apparatus.

828 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Henry Fielding (1707 - 1754) was an English dramatist, journalist and novelist. The son of an army lieutenant and a judge's daughter, he was educated at Eton School and the University of Leiden before returning to England where he wrote a series of farces, operas and light comedies.

Fielding formed his own company and was running the Little Theatre, Haymarket, when one of his satirical plays began to upset the government. The passing of the Theatrical Licensing Act in 1737 effectively ended Fielding's career as a playwright.

In 1739, Fielding turned to journalism and became editor of The Champion. He also began writing novels, including: The Adventures of Joseph Andrews (1742) and Jonathan Wild (1743).

Fielding was made a justice of the peace for Westminster and Middlesex in 1748. He campaigned against legal corruption and helped his half-brother, Sir John Fielding, establish the Bow Street Runners.

In 1749, Fielding's novel The History of Tom Jones was published to public acclaim. Critics agree that it is one of the greatest comic novels in the English language. He followed this success with another well received novel, Amelia, in 1751.

Fielding continued as a journalist and his satirical journal, Covent Garden, continued to upset those in power. Throughout his life, Fielding suffered from poor health. By 1752, he could not move without the help of crutches. In an attempt to overcome his health problems, Henry Fielding went to live in Portugal, but this was not successful, and he died in Lisbon in 1754.