Henry Fielding
Biography
Henry Fielding (1707–1754) was an English novelist and playwright whose sharp wit and sprawling narratives helped define the modern novel. Born into a well-connected Somerset family, he studied at Eton and the University of Leiden before launching a career in London theatre. His satirical plays drew the ire of the government, prompting the Licensing Act of 1737 that effectively ended his stage career. Fielding then turned to prose fiction, producing the mock-heroic Joseph Andrews (1742) and the panoramic masterpiece Tom Jones (1749). He also practised law, serving as a magistrate for Westminster and Middlesex, where he co-founded the Bow Street Runners, an early form of professional policing. Plagued by gout and declining health, Fielding sailed to Lisbon seeking warmer air but died there at forty-seven, leaving behind works that combined comedy, social criticism, and a generous vision of human nature.
