Tom Jones

   Scythrop Glowry on Feb 2 16:50:00

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Tom Jones by Henry Fielding has to be one of the best novels ever written. It's as brilliant as can be.

It does seem a little long in the middle since it's 851 pages, but it's very, very worth it, and I read even the introductory chapters which he (Henry Fielding) said you could pass by if you wanted. They were too interesting to pass by. Never give up on it...it will reward you well enough in the end, and you wouldn't be able to appreciate the ending properly if you don't read every bit of what leads up to it. And even if it may seem slow at times, no chapter is absolutely dull (if you can enjoy Mansfield Park, this will feel like a walk in the park). It is beyond me how Henry Fielding managed to plan the book's plot, but he managed to do it, give pretty realistic excuse for it, and make it a page turning read towards the end.

Also, I like a book that though entertaining (unlike Ivanhoe) it has something to sink your teeth into. I like to think about it like eating pineapple. When I just eat the fleshy, easy to chew parts I am never satisfied. For the longest time I thought one had to eat a whole pinapple by themselves to be satisfied. Then I tried eating the core...and I got to the core of the matter. That fiber and chew-effort which the core had made it satisfying. I could finally enjoy pinapple properly when I discovered that you can eat the core. Likewise, I like a book that has some fiber and something to chew over. It's satisfying. I feel like I've feasted at a good repast when I've finished it. I got that balance of fiber and flavor with Thomas Love Peacock. Henry Fielding most definitely has it, at least in Tom Jones.

Be careful of first impressions when reading old books. I often have a foolish first impression of one, even now. I thought Tom Jones had no plot...more truly I found it difficult to understand and I felt like taking a break after each chapter--but that's just the way it is when you start to read a book that's a little above your current level. It wasn't long at all before I made sense out Fielding's writting at the first pass, and at least by page 600 I could hardly put it down.

If you have any qualms about the morals of the tale, remember that just because you see ungodly things done in a book--even by the hero--it doesn't mean that those things are being recommended. Tom Jones isn't a movie from the 90s or after...it's an old book by a Christian magistrate. He's telling you what not to do and why not to do it...and when he gives an example he's promoting, I don't think you'll have any qualms about that. If you don't believe me, read the dedication. Personally, I think someone has to willfully misunderstand the book to think it anything but a warning against the evils of doing ungodly things.

#1

Sue Obermeit on Mar 26, 2023 9:49 AM
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Yes, at times, I thought it was above your AGE level too! ;-)

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