
THE WORKS OF HENRY FIELDING - EDITED BY - GEORGE SAINTSBURY - IN TWELVE VOLUMES - VOL. XII.
MISCELLANIES - VOL. II. - THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TOM THUMB THE GREAT AND SOME MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS BY HENRY FIELDING ESQ.
CONTENTS OF VOL. II. - THE AUTHOR'S FARCE, ACTS I. AND II. - THE TRAGEDY OF TRAGEDIES; OR, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TOM THUMB THE GREAT - PASQUIN; A DRAMATIC SATIRE ON THE TIMES - AN ESSAY ON CONVERSATION - THE TRUE PATRIOT, NO. XIII. - THE COVENT-GARDEN JOURNAL, NOS. X., XXXIII. - FAMILIAR LETTER
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - PORTRAIT OF FIELDING BY HOGARTH - THE DEATH OF LORD GRIZZLE - HE ACQUAINTED THE DAMSELS THAT HE AND HIS COMPANIONS HAD CARRIED THE OPERA.
THE AUTHOR'S FARCE; - [WITH A PUPPET-SHOW CALLED THE PLEASURES OF THE TOWN.] - FIRST ACTED AT THE HAY-MARKET IN 1729, AND REVIVED SOME YEARS AFTER AT DRURY-LANE, WHEN IT WAS REVISED AND GREATLY ALTERED BY THE AUTHOR, AS NOW PRINTED.
PROLOGUE, SPOKEN BY MR JONES
PERSONS IN THE FARCE. - MEN.
ACT I. - SCENE I.—LUCKLESS's Room in Mrs MONEYWOOD'S House.—Mrs MONEYWOOD, HARRIOT, LUCKLESS.
SCENE II—LUCKLESS, Mrs MONEYWOOD
SCENE III.—LUCKLESS, HARRIOT.
A lively anthology gathers some of the most playful and pointed pieces Henry Fielding ever penned. In this volume you’ll find a short farce, a mock‑tragedy about the legendary Tom Thumb, a biting dramatic satire, a witty essay on conversation, and a handful of shorter sketches that capture the pulse of early‑18th‑century London. The collection shines with the author’s characteristic blend of humor, social observation, and brisk dialogue, offering listeners a taste of the period’s theatrical and literary chatter.
The farce opens in the cramped quarters of a landlady’s house, where the penniless playwright Luckless bargains with the sharp‑tongued Mrs Moneywood over unpaid debts and the promise of a new play. Their repartee crackles with self‑deprecating jokes and a glimpse of the chaotic world of actors, booksellers, and eager audiences. Alongside this, the tragic parody of Tom Thumb and the satirical “Pasquin” lampoon contemporary politics, while the essay on conversation showcases Fielding’s clever commentary on manners—making the volume a rich, entertaining portrait of a writer at work.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (358K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-11-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1707–1754
Best known for the comic energy and sharp social satire of Tom Jones, this 18th-century English writer helped shape the novel as a lively, wide-ranging form. He was also a playwright and later a magistrate, bringing a keen eye for human behavior to everything he wrote.
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