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77-592: Aside from his own tales, Tom figures in Henry Fielding 's 1730 play Tom Thumb , a companion piece to his The Author's Farce . It was expanded into a single 1731 piece titled The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the History of Tom Thumb the Great . In the mid-18th century, books began to be published specifically for children (some with their authorship attributed to "Tommy Thumb"), and by the mid-19th century, Tom

154-912: A spider 's bite. Tom is laid to rest beneath rosebush and a marble monument is raised to his memory with the epitaph: Tom Thumb is the subject of several films. There are many thumb-sized characters around the world: Le petit poucet (France), Der kleine Däumling (Germany), Tommelise (Denmark), Little One Inch/ Issun-bōshi (Japan), Si Kelingking (Indonesia), Thumbikin (Norway), Garbancito and Pulgarcito (Spain), Pollicino (Italy), Piñoncito (Chile), Липунюшка ( Lipunyushka or No-Bigger-Than-A-Finger ) (Russia), Palčić (Serbia), Patufet (Catalonia), The Hazel-nut Child (Bukovina), Klein Duimpje and Pinkeltje (Netherlands), Hüvelyk Matyi (Hungary), Ko Ko Nga Latt Ma (Myanmar), দেড় আঙ্গুলে ( Dēṛa āṅgulē ) (Bengal), Sprīdītis (Latvia) and others. Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754)

231-422: A "comic epic poem in prouse", he blended two classical traditions: that of the epic, which had been poetic, and that of the drama, but emphasizing the comic rather than the tragic. Another distinction of Joseph Andrews and the novels to come was use of everyday reality of character and action, as opposed to the fables of the past. While begun as a parody, it developed into an accomplished novel in its own right and

308-410: A Christian. As Mordred 's rebellion wears on in the last days of Arthur's reign, Tom refuses to return to Fairyland, preferring to die as an honorable Christian. In 1863, Dinah Maria Craik Mulock refused to cleanse the tale's questionable passages and let the story speak for itself. She adds material, and Tom has adventures that again involve being swallowed by a miller and a salmon, being imprisoned in

385-406: A burlesque of the heroics of Dryden and his school, The Tragedy of Tragedies is a singularly systematic, as well as brilliantly clever, performance." The Battestins believe that "' The Tragedy of Tragedies  – although circumstances prevented a run as prolonged as that of Tom Thumb a year earlier – was just as successful as its shorter, less elegant predecessor." Albert J. Rivero opposes

462-523: A female during many of the shows. This reversal allows Fielding to critique the traditional understanding of a hero within tragedy and gender roles in general. Hogarth's frontispiece reinforces what Fielding is attempting within The Tragedy of Tragedies by having the hero, Tom Thumb, unable to act as the two females take the dominant role and fight amongst themselves. Ultimately, gender was a way to comment on economics, literature, politics, and society as

539-605: A fortnightly, The Covent-Garden Journal , published under the pseudonym "Sir Alexander Drawcansir, Knt., Censor of Great Britain" until November of that year. Here Fielding challenged the "armies of Grub Street " and periodical writers of the day in a conflict that became the Paper War of 1752–1753 . Fielding then published Examples of the Interposition of Providence in the Detection and Punishment of Murder (1752),

616-548: A giantess named Glumdalca is added as a second love interest for both King Arthur and Tom. As the play progresses, Tom is not killed by Grizzle, but instead defeats him. However, Tom is killed by a giant, murderous cow offstage, the news of which prompts a killing spree, leaving seven dead bodies littered on stage and the King alone, left to boast that he is the last to fall, right before stabbing himself. The ghost of Tom in Tom Thumb

693-498: A happy ending in which Tom is spat back out by the cow and the others are resurrected by Merlin's magic. This is considered to be a satirical comment on the unlikely and tacked-on nature of many happy endings in literature and drama. In the mid-18th century, books began appearing specifically for children, and Tom was cited as the author of titles such as Tommy Thumb's Song Book (1744) and Tommy Thumb's Little Story Book (c. 1760). In 1791, Joseph Ritson remarked that Tom's popularity

770-577: A lifelong friendship with William Pitt the Elder . His mother died when he was 11. A suit for custody was brought by his grandmother against his charming but irresponsible father, Lt Gen. Edmund Fielding . The settlement placed Henry in his grandmother's care, but he continued to see his father in London. In 1725, Henry tried to abduct his cousin Sarah Andrews (with whom he was infatuated) while she

847-543: A little blue flagstone in the pavement of the cathedral used to be pointed out as his monument." This source therefore suggests that the "grave" at Holy Trinity Church was probably engraved post -1846. The earliest surviving text is a 40-page booklet printed in London for Thomas Langley in 1621 entitled The History of Tom Thumbe, the Little, for his small stature surnamed, King Arthur's Dwarfe: whose Life and adventures containe many strange and wonderfull accidents, published for

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924-615: A magistrate to found the Bow Street Runners , London's first professional police force . Henry Fielding was born on 22 April 1707 at Sharpham Park, the seat of his mother's family in Sharpham , Somerset. He was the son of Lt.-Gen. Edmund Fielding and Sarah Gould, daughter of Sir Henry Gould. A scion of the Earl of Denbigh , his father was nephew of William Fielding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh. Educated at Eton College , Fielding began

1001-499: A mighty warrior and a conqueror of giants, despite his stature, as well as the object of desire for many of the ladies at court. The plot is largely concerned with the various love triangles amongst the characters, who include Princess Huncamunca, giantess Glumdalca, and Queen Dollalolla (Arthur's wife in this version). Matters are complicated when Arthur awards Tom the hand of Huncamunca in marriage which results in Dollalolla and

1078-564: A minor piece in his life's work, it reflects his preoccupation with fraud, shamming and masks. His greatest work is The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749), a meticulous comic novel with elements of the picaresque and the Bildungsroman , telling a convoluted tale of how a foundling came into a fortune. The novel tells of Tom's alienation from his foster father, Squire Allworthy, and his sweetheart, Sophia Western, and his reconciliation with them after lively and dangerous adventures on

1155-405: A mousetrap, angering King Thunston and his queen, and finally dying from the poisonous breath of a spider. Tom's tale has since been adapted to all sorts of children's books with new material added and existing material reworked, but his mischievous nature and his bravery remain undiminished. Richard Johnson's The History of Tom Thumbe of 1621 tells that in the days of King Arthur , old Thomas of

1232-484: A political follower of Chesterfield. The other prominent opposition paper, Common Sense , founded by Chesterfield and Lyttelton, was named after a character in Fielding's Pasquin (1736). Fielding wrote at least two articles for it in 1737 and 1738. Fielding continued to air political views in satirical articles and newspapers in the late 1730s and early 1740s. He was the main writer and editor from 1739 to 1740 for

1309-523: A proposal for abolishing public hangings. This did not, however, imply opposition to capital punishment as such – as is evident, for example, in his presiding in 1751 over the trial of the notorious criminal James Field , finding him guilty in a robbery and sentencing him to hang. John Fielding, despite being blind by then, succeeded his older brother as chief magistrate, becoming known as the "Blind Beak of Bow Street" for his ability to recognise criminals by their voices alone. In January 1752 Fielding started

1386-473: A rose and leaves him several gifts: an enchanted hat of knowledge, a ring of invisibility, a shape-changing girdle, and shoes to take him anywhere in a moment. Tom falls seriously ill when a lady blows her nose, but is cured by the physician to King Twaddell of the Pygmies . He takes a ride in his walnut shell coach and meets Garagantua. Each boasts of his many powers. When Garagantua threatens to harm Tom, he

1463-488: A scene in which two doctors discuss Tom Thumb's death, and in doing so unified the type of satire that he was working on. He narrowed his critique to abuses of language produced only by individuals subconsciously, and not by frauds like the doctors. As for the rest of the play, Fielding expanded scenes, added characters, and turned the work into a three-act play. Merlin is added to the plot to prophesize Tom's end. In addition, Grizzle becomes Tom's rival for Huncamunca's heart, and

1540-574: A successful writer. Her novel The Governess, or The Little Female Academy (1749) is thought to be the first in English aimed expressly at children. Fielding married Charlotte Craddock in 1734 at the Church of St Mary in Charlcombe , Somerset. She died in 1744, and he later modelled the heroines of Tom Jones and of Amelia on her. They had five children; their only daughter Henrietta died at

1617-641: A treatise rejecting deistic and materialistic visions of the world in favour of belief in God's presence and divine judgement, arguing that the murder rate was rising due to neglect of the Christian religion. In 1753 he wrote Proposals for Making an Effectual Provision for the Poor . Fielding's humanitarian commitment to justice in the 1750s (for instance in support of Elizabeth Canning ) coincided with rapid deterioration in his health. Gout , asthma and cirrhosis of

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1694-500: A wealthy benefactor, on whom Squire Allworthy in Tom Jones would be based. Allen went on to provide for the education and support of Fielding's children after the writer's death. Fielding never stopped writing political satire and satires of current arts and letters. The Tragedy of Tragedies (for which Hogarth designed the frontispiece) was, for example, quite successful as a printed play. Based on his earlier Tom Thumb , this

1771-507: A whole along with reinforcing the mock-heroic nature of the play. The Daily Post stated in April 1731 that there was a high demand to see the play. Notable individuals who attended the play, according to the 3 May Daily Post , included Princess Amelia and Princess Caroline . Such attendance and popularity among members of the royal court suggest that Fielding was not using the play to subtly criticise them. F. Homes Dudden argues that "As

1848-648: Is a satirical representation of criticism in general in the tradition of A Tale of a Tub and The Dunciad Variorum . Regardless of the humorous elements, the notes do reveal Fielding's vast classical education. Fielding's theatrical output of 1730–1 shows that the assumption of the Scriblerian persona may have had an opportunist character. Though Fielding was happy to share in some of the fame and power of Pope and Swift at their peak, and to borrow some of their themes and techniques, he never agreed wholeheartedly with their cultural or political aims. In his poetry of

1925-550: Is abused by removing meaning or adding fake words to the dialogue to mimic and mock the dialogues of Colley Cibber 's plays. The mocking and playing with language continues throughout; near the end of the play Arthur attacks similes in general: Fielding's attacks on faulty language are not limited to internal events; he also pokes fun at Lewis Theobald . In particular, Fielding mocks Theobald's tragedy The Persian Princess and his notes on Shakespeare. Besides critiquing various theatrical traditions, there are gender implications in

2002-435: Is astonished to see the little man emerge from the fish. Tom then becomes King Arthur's Dwarf. Tom becomes a favorite at King Arthur's royal court , especially among the ladies. There is revelry; Tom joins the jousting and dances in the palm of a Maid of Honour. He goes home briefly to see his parents, taking some money from the treasury with the king's permission, then returns to court. The Queene of Fayres finds him asleep on

2079-422: Is cast under an enchantment and Tom hurries home to safety. King Arthur listens with amazement to Tom's many adventures. Richard Johnson's 1621 narrative ends here, but he promised his readers a sequel that has never been found, if published at all. In 1630, a metrical version in three parts was published that continues Tom's adventures. Other versions paint a different picture to Tom's end. Dinah Mulock continued

2156-409: Is replaced by the ghost of Gaffar Thumb, Tom's father. Fielding gives special emphasis to the printed version of The Tragedy of Tragedies by including notes and making it his only printed play that originally includes a frontispiece. The variorum, or notes, to the printed version of the play pointed out many of the parodies, allusions, and other references within The Tragedy of Tragedies . However,

2233-587: Is seen as Fielding's debut as a serious novelist. In 1743, he published a novel in the Miscellanies volume III (which was the first volume of the Miscellanies): The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great , which is sometimes counted as his first, as he almost certainly began it before he wrote Shamela and Joseph Andrews . It is a satire of Walpole equating him and Jonathan Wild , the gang leader and highwayman. He implicitly compares

2310-533: The Church of England led to his appointment a year later as Westminster's chief magistrate , while his literary career went from strength to strength. Most of his work concerned London's criminal population of thieves, informers, gamblers and prostitutes. Though living in a corrupt and callous society, he became noted for impartial judgements, incorruptibility and compassion for those whom social inequities led into crime. The income from his office ("the dirtiest money upon earth") dwindled as he refused to take money from

2387-534: The Whig party in Parliament with a gang of thieves run by Walpole, whose constant desire to be a "Great Man" (a common epithet with Walpole) ought to culminate in the antithesis of greatness: hanging. Fielding's anonymous The Female Husband (1746) fictionalizes a case in which a female transvestite was tried for duping another woman into marriage; this was one of several small pamphlets costing sixpence. Though

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2464-488: The Classics could only invoke pity and fear in the audience, while modern tragedies were able to leave the audience laughing at the ridiculous situations onstage. Fielding referred to these modern works as "laughing tragedies" and claimed that the only difference between his work and the modern tragedies was that his work was intentional in its laughter. Fielding's play was later adapted into The Opera of Operas; or Tom Thumb

2541-482: The Court of Great Brittaine . The book was reprinted many times, and two more parts were added to the first around 1700. The three parts were reprinted many times. In 1711, William Wagstaffe published A Comment upon The History of Tom Thumbe . In 1730, English dramatist Henry Fielding used Tom Thumb as the central figure of a play by that name , which he rewrote in 1731 as the farce The Tragedy of Tragedies , or

2618-439: The Great , is a play by Henry Fielding . It is an expanded and reworked version of one of his earlier plays, Tom Thumb , and tells the story of a character who is small in stature and status, yet is granted the hand of a princess in marriage; the infuriated queen and another member of the court subsequently attempt to destroy the marriage. In adapting his earlier work Fielding incorporated significant plot changes; he also made

2695-515: The Great by playwrights Eliza Haywood and William Hatchett . It ran 13 nights at the Little Theatre starting 31 May 1733 and was discontinued because of the hot weather. It was later continued and had many shows during the seasons following. The Tragedy of Tragedies turned out to be one of Fielding's most enduring plays, with interesting later revivals. The novelist Frances Burney played Huncamunca in private productions of 1777, there

2772-472: The Haymarket Theatre in London, with the companion piece The Letter Writers . Its printed edition was "edited" and "commented" on by Fielding's pseudonym H. Scriblerus Secundus, who pretends not to be the original author. It contains a frontispiece by Hogarth, which serves as the earliest proof of a relationship between Fielding and Hogarth. The printed edition was available on opening night and

2849-405: The History of Tom Thumb the Great . The play is filled with 18th-century political and literary satire and is intended as a parody of heroic tragedies. The title of "The Great" may be intended as a reference to politician Sir Robert Walpole who was often called "The Great." Henry Fielding 's tragedy Tom Thumb was the basis for an opera constructed by Kane O'Hara . Fielding's Tom is cast as

2926-514: The Miller is so angry he tosses Tom into a river where he is swallowed by a salmon . The fish is caught, taken to the King's kitchen, and Tom is found and kept in a mousetrap until King Arthur forgives him. The court goes hunting and Tom joins them upon his steed, a mouse. A cat catches the mouse and Tom is injured. He is carried to Fairyland where he recovers and dwells for several years. When he returns to court, King Thunston now reigns. Charmed by

3003-565: The Mountain, a plowman and a member of the King's Council, wants nothing more than a son, even if he is no bigger than his thumb. He sends his wife to consult with Merlin . In three months' time, she gives birth to the diminutive Tom Thumb. The "Queene of Fayres " and her attendants act as midwives. She provides Tom with an oak leaf hat, a shirt of cobweb, a doublet of thistledown, stockings of apple rind, and shoes of mouse's skin. Tom cheats at games with other boys and because of his many tricks,

3080-661: The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole . His patron was the opposition Whig MP George Lyttelton , a boyhood friend from Eton to whom he later dedicated Tom Jones . Lyttelton followed his leader Lord Cobham in forming a Whig opposition to Walpole's government called the Cobhamites , which included another of Fielding's Eton friends, William Pitt. In The Craftsman , Fielding voiced an opposition attack on bribery and corruption in British politics. Despite writing for

3157-438: The age of 23, having already been "in deep decline" when she married a military engineer, James Gabriel Montresor , some months before. Three years after Charlotte's death, Fielding disregarded public opinion by marrying her former maid Mary Daniel, who was pregnant. Mary bore five children: three daughters who died young, and two sons, William and Allen. Despite the scandal, Fielding's consistent anti-Jacobitism and support for

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3234-419: The boys will not associate with him. Tom retaliates by using magic to hang his mother's pots and glasses from a sunbeam. When his fellows try the same, their pots and glasses fall and are broken. Thereafter, Tom stays home under his mother's supervision. At Christmas, she makes puddings, but Tom falls into the batter and is boiled into one of them. When a tinker comes begging, Tom's mother inadvertently gives him

3311-636: The commentary in the print edition adds another level of satire that originates in the Scriblerus model of Alexander Pope , Jonathan Swift , et al. H. Scriblerus Secundus prefaces the play with claims that Scriblerus spent ten years working on an edition and that the play comes from the Elizabethan time period and may or may not have been the work of Shakespeare. Additionally, Scriblerus abuses classical sources through mistranslations and misreadings, botches contemporary and traditional critical theory, and

3388-742: The delight of merry Time-spenders . The author is presumed to be Londoner Richard Johnson (1579–1659?) because his initials appear on the last page. The only known copy is in the Morgan Library & Museum , New York. Tom was already a traditional folk character when the booklet was printed, and it is likely that printed materials circulated prior to Johnson's. It is not known how much Johnson contributed to Tom's character or his adventures. William Fulke referred to Tom in 1579 in Heskins Parleament Repealed , and Thomas Nashe referred to him in 1592 in his prose satire on

3465-413: The dispute between King Arthur and his wife, Queen Dollallolla over which of the females should have Tom as her own. There are possible parallels between King Arthur and King George, and Queen Dollallolla and Queen Caroline, especially given the popular belief that Caroline influenced George's decision making. The gender roles were further complicated and reversed by the masculine Tom Thumb being portrayed by

3542-524: The eighteenth century. Henry Fielding would construct "the non-ironic pseudonym such as Addison and Steele used in the Spectator, and the ironic mask or Persona , such as Swift used in A Modest Proposal." The Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 is said to be a direct response to his activities in writing for the theatre. Although the play that triggered the act was the unproduced, anonymously authored The Golden Rump , Fielding's dramatic satires had set

3619-461: The elements that provoked humour to bolster the satiric purpose of the play. Fielding rewrites many pieces of dialogue that originate in Tom Thumb , such as condensing Tom's description of the giants to Arthur. This condensing serves as Tom's rejection of the linguistic flourishes found within King Arthur's court that harm the English language as a whole. In both versions, the English language

3696-399: The field to play the scarecrow , but a raven carries him away. His parents search for him, but are unable to find him. The raven drops Tom at the castle of a giant . The cruel giant swallows the tiny boy like a pill. Tom thrashes about so much in the giant's stomach that he is vomited into the sea. There, he is eaten once more by a fish which is caught for King Arthur's supper. The cook

3773-522: The floor adjacent to the font of the main chapel in Holy Trinity Church at Tattershall , Lincolnshire, UK. The inscription reads: "T. THUMB, Aged 101 Died 1620". The grave measures just 16" (40 cm) in length. However, without any proof this is likely to be a later forgery or joke, for in his 1846 text Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales (p.83) James Orchard Halliwell wrote that: "According to popular tradition, Tom Thumb died at Lincoln, and

3850-437: The jealous Grizzle seeking revenge. Eventually, Tom dies when swallowed by a cow, but his ghost returns. At the conclusion, Tom's ghost is killed by Grizzle and most of the cast kill each other in duels or take their own lives in grief. Fielding's play was later adapted into a spoof on opera conventions called The Opera of Operas; or Tom Thumb the Great by playwrights Eliza Haywood and William Hatchett . This version includes

3927-403: The little man, the king gives Tom a tiny coach pulled by six mice. This makes the queen jealous as she received no such gifts and she frames Tom with being insolent to her. Tom attempts to escape on a passing butterfly , but is caught and imprisoned in a mousetrap. He is freed by a curious cat and once more wins back the favor of King Thunston. Sadly, he does not live to enjoy it as he is killed by

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4004-591: The liver left him on crutches, and with other afflictions sent him to Portugal in 1754 to seek a cure, only to die two months later in Lisbon , reportedly in pain and mental distress. His tomb there is in the British Cemetery ( Cemitério Inglês ), the graveyard of St. George's Church, Lisbon . Further Adaptations The Tragedy of Tragedies The Tragedy of Tragedies , also known as The Tragedy of Tragedies; or, The Life and Death of Tom Thumb

4081-465: The loftiest Parts of Tragedy, and designed to banish what we generally call Fine Things, from the Stage." This idea is developed by the focus of the tragedy being on a low-class citizen of the kingdom, even smaller in stature than a regular commoner. Tragedies normally deal with royalty and high-class families, so the focus on little Tom Thumb establishes the satirical nature from the beginning. In addition,

4158-493: The notes included with the printed edition served as a way to explain the play. It was printed by James Roberts alongside of an edition of The Letter-Writers . The printed version of The Tragedy of Tragedies created two versions of the play, one that was acted and another that was to be read, and both contained humour catered to each. Fielding believed modern tragedies to be superior to the Classic Greek tragedies because

4235-470: The notes themselves serve as a parody for serious uses of the notes and mock the idea of critically interpreting plays. By calling himself Scriblerus Secundus, Fielding connects The Tragedy of Tragedies with the works of the Scriblerus Club . These works also contain parodies of critics and scholars who attempt to elucidate literature. As such, the play is one of Fielding's Scriblerian plays, and

4312-589: The opposition to Walpole, which included Tories as well as Whigs, Fielding was "unshakably a Whig " and often praised Whig heroes such as the Duke of Marlborough and Gilbert Burnet . Fielding dedicated his play Don Quixote in England to the opposition Whig leader Lord Chesterfield . It appeared on 17 April 1734, the same day writs were issued for the general election . He dedicated his 1735 play The Universal Gallant to Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough ,

4389-450: The over the top nature of the plot, the intricacies of the characters' relationships, and the littering of bodies at the end of the play all serve to further mock and burlesque eighteenth century tragedies. The burlesque aspects posed a problem for Fielding, and people saw his show more for pleasure than for its biting satire. In altering his ending to having the ghost of Tom's father die instead of Tom's ghost, Fielding sought to remove part of

4466-541: The period Fielding distanced himself from the Toryism and misanthropy of Pope, and it has been suggested that the surface affiliation of The Tragedy of Tragedies with the writing of the Scriblerus Club masks real antipathy. However, Fielding's use of the Scriblerus name doesn't seem to have been resented by its creators. Swift reportedly praised Fielding as a wit, saying that he had laughed only twice in his life,

4543-485: The play more focused, and unified the type of satire by narrowing its critique of the abuses of language. Additionally, in a reaction to the view that Tom Thumb was a burlesque, Fielding replaced some of the humour in favour of biting satire. The play was first performed at the Haymarket Theatre on 24 March 1731, with the companion piece The Letter Writers . Critics enjoyed the play, but pointed out that it

4620-630: The preface that Tom was long known by "old and young... Bachelors and Maids... and Shepheard and the young Plow boy". Tom's tale was reprinted countless times in Britain, and was being sold in America as early as 1686. A metrical version was published in 1630 entitled Tom Thumbe, His Life and Death: Wherein is declared many Maruailous Acts of Manhood, full of wonder, and strange merriments: Which little Knight liued in King Arthurs time, and famous in

4697-408: The pudding containing her son. His mother thereafter keeps a closer watch upon him. One day, he accompanies her to the field to milk the cows . He sits under a thistle, but a red cow swallows him. The cow is given a laxative and Tom passes from her in a "cow pat". He is taken home and cleaned. Another day, he accompanies his father for the seed sowing and rides in the horse 's ear. Tom is set down in

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4774-417: The road and in London. It triumphs as a presentation of English life and character in the mid-18th century. Every social type is represented and through them every shade of moral behaviour. Fielding's varied style tempers the basic seriousness of the novel and his authorial comment before each chapter adds a dimension to a conventional, straightforward narrative. Fielding's younger sister, Sarah , also became

4851-538: The satirical paper The Champion , which was sharply critical of Walpole's government and of pro-government literary and political writers. He sought to evade libel charges by making its political attacks so funny or embarrassing to the victim that a publicized court case would seem even worse. He later became chief writer for the Whig government of Henry Pelham . Fielding took to novel writing in 1741, angered by Samuel Richardson 's success with Pamela . His first success

4928-536: The second instance being the Circumstance of Tom Thumb's killing the Ghost in the quick accumulation of corpses that closes the play. Pope may have echoed Fielding in the expanded four-book Dunciad of 1743 which suggests memories of Fielding's The Author's Farce in some of the methods it uses to satirise the garish culture of the time. The previous version, according to Fielding, was criticised as "a Burlesque on

5005-470: The tale and noted that Tom exhausted himself with jousting but recovered in Fairyland. When he returned to Arthur's court, he accidentally landed in a bowl of the king's frumenty . Tom enrages the cook and is threatened with beheading. He seeks refuge in the mouth of a passing slack-jawed miller . Sensing tiny voices and movements within him, the man believes he is possessed . He yawns and Tom emerges, but

5082-502: The tone. Once it was passed, political satire on stage became all but impossible. Fielding retired from the theatre and resumed his legal career to support his wife Charlotte Craddock and two children by becoming a barrister , joining the Middle Temple in 1737 and being called to the bar there in 1740. Fielding's lack of financial acumen meant the family often endured periods of poverty, but they were helped by Ralph Allen ,

5159-457: The very poor. Joined by his younger half-brother John , he helped found what some call London's first police force, the Bow Street Runners , in 1749. According to the historian G. M. Trevelyan , the Fieldings were two of the best magistrates in 18th-century London, who did much to enhance judicial reform and improve prison conditions. Fielding's influential pamphlets and enquiries included

5236-526: The vices of the age Pierce Penniless , His Supplication to the Divell . Reginald Scot listed Tom in his Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) as one of the creatures used by servant maids to frighten children, along with witches, dwarfs, elves, fairies, giants, and other supernatural folk. Tom was mentioned by James Field in Coryat's Crudities (1611): "Tom Thumbe is dumbe, until the pudding creepe, in which he

5313-403: Was a fixture of the nursery library. The tale took on moral overtones and some writers, such as Charlotte Mary Yonge , cleansed questionable passages. Dinah Mulock , however, refrained from scrubbing the tale of its vulgarities. Tom Thumb's story has been adapted into several films. Tom Thumb may have been a real person born around 1519, as there is a grave purporting to be his. It is set into

5390-424: Was a private production done by the family of Jane Austen at Steventon in 1788, and professor William Kurtz Wimsatt Jr. played the giantess Glumdalca at a Yale University production in 1953. Cast according to the original printed billing: There is little difference between the general plot outline of Tom Thumb and The Tragedy of Tragedies , but Fielding does make significant changes. He completely removed

5467-463: Was an English writer and magistrate known for the use of humour and satire in his works. His 1749 comic novel The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling was a seminal work in the genre. Along with Samuel Richardson , Fielding is seen as the founder of the traditional English novel. He also played an important role in the history of law enforcement in the United Kingdom , using his authority as

5544-479: Was an anonymous parody of that novel, called Shamela . This follows the model of Tory satirists of the previous generation, notably Swift and Gay. Fielding followed this with Joseph Andrews (1742), an original work supposedly dealing with Pamela's brother, Joseph. His purpose, however, was more than parody, for as stated in the preface, he intended a "kind of writing which I do not remember to have seen hitherto attempted in our language." In what Fielding called

5621-405: Was another of Fielding's irregular plays published under the name of H. Scriblerus Secundus, a pseudonym intended to link himself ideally with the Scriblerus Club of literary satirists founded by Jonathan Swift , Alexander Pope and John Gay . He also contributed several works to journals. From 1734 to 1739, Fielding wrote anonymously for the leading Tory periodical, The Craftsman , against

5698-543: Was intomb'd, then out doth peepe." The incident of the pudding was the most popular in connection with the character. It is alluded to in Ben Jonson 's masque of the Fortunate Isles: "Thomas Thumb in a pudding fat, with Doctor Rat." Richard Johnson's History may have been in circulation as early as this date because the title page woodblock in the 1621 edition shows great wear. Johnson himself makes it clear in

5775-458: Was known far and wide: "Every city, town, village, shop, stall, man, woman, and child, in the kingdom, can bear witness to it." Tom's story was originally intended for adults, but it was relegated to the nursery by the mid-19th century. Vulgar episodes were sanitized, and moralizing colored the tale. In Charlotte Mary Yonge 's 1856 adaptation, Tom resists his natural urges to play impish pranks, renounces his ties to Fairyland, and pronounces himself

5852-452: Was on her way to church. He fled to avoid prosecution. In 1728, Fielding travelled to Leiden to study classics and law at the university. However, penury forced him back to London, where he began writing for the theatre. Some of his work savagely criticised the government of Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole . According to George R. Levine, Henry Fielding, in his first writings used two forms of "rhetorical poses" that were popular during

5929-412: Was originally designed as a companion piece to The Author's Farce . The Tragedy of Tragedies was an expanded and rewritten version of Tom Thumb . Fielding altered the play because although audiences enjoyed the play they did not notice the satire directed at the problems of contemporary theatre; the rewrite was intended to make the satire more obvious. The play was first performed on 24 March 1731 at

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