The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great

Fielding, Henry, 1707-1754Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.2
Word count
404K words
Chapters
41

Tags

English Originals Classic Works Power GameAntiheroCriminal LegendComplex HumanitySocial CritiqueAnatomy of EvilSatirical StyleLondon Underclass

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great by Henry FieldingAuthor: Fielding, Henry, 1707-1754,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 1, 2004

Editor's review

The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great is a satirical novel by Henry Fielding that recounts the life of Jonathan Wild in the form of a parody of a "great man" biography. Fielding was a major 18th-century English novelist, and here he uses irony to set a criminal's "greatness" against moral depravity, creating a sharp satirical effect through the narrator's mock-solemn tone; it is an important text for understanding the English satirical tradition. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain eBook, it gives readers free access to the complete original text and is suited to literature students, English learners, and readers interested in the 18th-century English novel. Readers should watch for the ironic tone, since a literal reading can easily mislead them about the author's intent; the book also deals with crime and moral criticism, which are best understood against the background of the era. Overall, this is a classic satire that rewards close reading and background knowledge.

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Reading tips

  1. Learn about Fielding's life and 18th-century English society before reading.
  2. Watch for the gap between the narrator's tone and the evaluation of events to identify the irony.
  3. Read the preface or the first few chapters first to grasp the parodic biographical form before continuing.
  4. After finishing, compare it with other satirical works to see how narrative strategies differ.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41

FAQ

Is the protagonist a virtuous character? No. The word "Great" in the title is strongly ironic: the protagonist, Jonathan Wild, is known for crime and manipulating others, and the author uses the parody of a biography to satirize society's blind worship of "great men." Pay attention to the narrator's ironic tone and do not take the praise literally.
Can I understand it without background knowledge? You can read it, but your understanding will be limited. The book parodies 18th-century biographical style and satirizes the social mores and legal environment of the time. It is best to learn about Fielding's background and the English satirical tradition first, or read alongside literary history references, to better grasp the author's critical intent.
Is this book suitable for English beginners? Not really. The book dates from the 18th century, with long sentences and wording that differs from contemporary English, and its irony requires a strong feel for the language. It is best attempted by readers with intermediate to advanced English and some grounding in English literature; beginners might start with simplified or annotated editions.

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About the author

Fielding, Henry, 1707-1754 Author

Henry Fielding (1707–1754) was an English novelist and playwright. The library holds 15 of his works, including The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, the two volumes of Joseph Andrews, The History of the Life of the Late Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great, Amelia, and partial collected works. These writings mostly deal with personal growth and social observation, written in a humorous and satirical style that reveals human nature and social manners through the protagonists' wanderings. The common category is inspirational growth. As public information is limited, details of his life are omitted; this introduction focuses on the subjects, style, and influence of his works rather than fabricating his education, awards, or specific experiences.