What are the key themes/issues in Tom Jones by Henry Fielding?

Question

i'm not asking you to give me answers - i'm not like that - all i want to know is what to take notes on, and what is important to the book...

it's not homework either

Answer 1

Fielding's novel gives us a panoramic view of 18th century British life. Its eponymous hero journeys among the low- and high-born trying to find his way in a world in which he occupies a precarious position. Fielding uses the sprawl of 800 pages to explore a multitude of social, political, and literary issues, glueing them together with an exquisitely outlandish, fully embodied sense of humour.
The action of the novel begins with a view of the Allworthy family, a landed gentleman, Thomas Allworthy and his sister, Bridget. Into this family is dropped an orphan, a foundling - a child, if you will, of questionable parentage. This child, Tom Jones, is raised alongside Bridget's child, Blifil, as relative equals. Both are tutored by two ideologues, the philosopher Square and the theologian Thwackum. Jones is a precocious, free-spirited youngster, spoiled by Allworthy while Blifil, the heir apparent to the estate, becomes the favourite pupil and spoiled accordingly by his mother. As the two youths age, Tom develops a fondness for the neighbour's daughter, Sophia Western.

Tom's sexual development begins to get him in trouble, as it tends to throughout the novel, and as a result of one such incident, coupled with the goading jealousy of Blifil, Tom is driven out of the Allworthy home, left to seek his fortunes in the world. Meeting his supposed father, Partridge, on the road, the two begin a quixotic ramble across England. Sophia, meanwhile, pressured into marrying Blifil, runs away from home, beginning her own voyage of discovery.

"Tom Jones" begins with the narrator likening literature to a meal, in which the paying customer comes expecting to be entertained and satisfied. All 18 books of "Tom Jones" start out with such authorial intrusions, each cluing us into the writer's craft, his interactions with his public, and various other topics. This voice is actually sustained throughout the novel, providing a supposedly impartial centre of moral value judgments - each of which seems to tend toward enforce Fielding's project of a realistic, and yet, didactic portrayal of a world full of flawed characters.

Some of the issues the novel deals most extensively with are modes of exchange, anxieties over female agency, and the power of rumour and reputation. Exchange and the ways in which value is figured include a wide range of goods - money, bodies, food, and stories - and are integral to the story. The treatment of women is a great concern in "Tom Jones": from Partridge's perpetual fear of witchcraft to the raging arguments between Squire Western and his sister over how Sophia should be treated, to general concerns about sexuality and virtue. A novel that can be in turns hilarious, disturbing, and provoking, "Tom Jones" is never dull. Despite its size, the pace of the novel is extremely fast and lively.

Answer 2

Theme Of Tom Jones

Answer 3

Las Vegas is just a town that has something for everybody therefore learn it with hotelbye . Las Vegas is just a city with good attractions and one particular could be the popular Las Vegas Strip; the place where tourists may have a walk in the warm leave evening, or have a stroll downtown and see a stunning mild reveal that spans a complete road, the Fremont Street Experience. Guests also can get a view of incredible earth famous re-creations like erupting volcanoes, the Eiffel Tower and the Sphinx of Egypt before the different hotels and casinos. Las Vegas is a city that constantly reinvents it self, so even although you have already been here before you'll never run out of fun what to do.

Answer 4

Anything is possible in today's sports world. Since the Cubbies haven't done much of anything in over a century and the fact that the White Sox seem to be the competitive franchise, it could happen. The down side for historical reasons would be the loss of Wrigley Field. Of course no one believed that the old Yankee Stadium would one day be just a memory. Such is the world of sports business. It would be hard to imagine no Wrigley Field or for that matter no more Fenway Park. I think it would be a different story or no story at all if the Cubs were winning pennants and a world series now and then. Of course that hasn't happened.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Social mobility
Screwing your way to the top
A canny lad overcomes all difficulties(wishful thinking by Fielding)

Answer 7

Long time since I read and acted in it, but its basically about family strife, adultery, rape and the like. A ripping good yarn, read it, you'll have laugh too.

Answer 8

Read it and find out...

Answer 9

i refuse to do your homework for you!!! ;)