The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (often known simply as Tom Jones) is a comic novel by Henry Fielding. It was published in 1749, enjoyed immediate popularity and has inspired several adaptations, including an Academy Award-winning film and a television miniseries.

The title character, a handsome, brave, generous young man of uncertain parentage and hearty appetites, remains faithful to his beloved in spirit, if not in flesh. The combination of vice and virtue in a fully realized, three-dimensional hero was unusual in English literature of its day. Throughout the lengthy book, the author openly mocks the moral rigidity of fashionable writers and critics while simultaneously acknowledging the frailties of his characters and celebrating their good natures.