The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling
Author(s): Henry Fielding
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Narrators: Hosmer_angel, Hefyd, JemmaBlythe, Mark F. Smith, Denny Sayers (d. 2015), Maire Rhode, Rachel Lintern, Sarah Jennings, Kalynda, Nikki Sullivan, Anna Simon, Amanda Hindman, Kathy Jacobs, Madonnaearth, George Pilling, Charlene V. Smith, Sheila Morton, Andy, Jennifer Stearns, Moe
Number of Chapters: 67
Length: 36 hours and 05 minutes
Language: English
Tom Jones is considered one of the first prose works describable as a novel. The novel is divided into 18 smaller books. Tom Jones is a foundling discovered on the property of a very kind, wealthy landowner, Squire Allworthy. Tom grows into a vigorous and lusty, yet honest and kind-hearted, youth. He develops affection for his neighbor's daughter, Sophia Western. On one hand, their love reflects the romantic comedy genre popular in 18th-century Britain. However, Tom's status as a bastard causes Sophia's father and Allworthy to oppose their love; this criticism of class friction in society acted as a biting social commentary. The inclusion of prostitution and sexual promiscuity in the plot was also original for its time, and also acted as the foundation for criticism of the book's "lowness." (Summary from Wikipedia)