Artifice of Moral Teaching in Fielding's ＂Tom Jones＂

10.29962/TOJA.200804.0008

Charles S. J. Chu

Authorial intrusion ； mock-heroic ； vicious book ； morallesson ； hypocrite ； irony

真理大學人文學報

6期（2008 / 04 / 30）

173 - 180

英文

This essay aims to explore Henry Fielding's art of moral teaching in ＂The History of Torn Jones, a Foundling＂, as the author originally entitled it. In his writing, Fielding does not try to create utterly good or evil characters; instead, he simply depicts them as what they are. For example, he treats Tom Jones as a simple-minded human being who errs at times. The story, though treated in this way, is as a matter of fact written with a deliberate purpose, which is to teach moral lessons in the form of burlesques. In addition, to achieve the purpose of moral teaching and to make the story colorful and dramatic, Fielding employs such skills as authorial intrusion, mock-heroic style, and irony. With authorial intrusion, Fielding engages his readers in the evaluations of moral judgments. With irony and mock-heroic style, Fielding not only offers himself chances to play with his lively humor, but he also creates chances for his readers to assess the characters. Thus, it is fair to say that the core of ＂Tom Jones＂ is a parade of human nature. Everything else in the plot revolves around this core.

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