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Tom Jones presents itself not only as a story, of course, but also as an irrepressible volume of talk-Fielding's talk-and while the talk is sometimes about the story, it is definitely talk and not anything else. There is the book of Tom Jones and his history, but there is also the larger, more prepossessing book of Henry Fielding's mind and conversation.
While he successfully attempts to influence and mold his reader to be the best possible reader of this particular novel, he is at the same time presenting in a developed fashion that relates to the action and themes of the novel both a key to what he is doing and a partial handbook on the art of fiction.
TOM JONES is contained in the development of a series of ideas in each of the first chapters of the eighteen books of the novel.These chapters form a subject ,which in its progress is related to the progress of the main plot,whose major theme is how and why the author writes this novel as he does.
The chaptersof Tom Jones are the voice of narrator( Fielding) informing the action and discoursing on the philosopy of writing to the reader in the introductory chapters.Narrator informs the reader and controls the reader’s response with these chapters becausenarrator is portrayed as all-knowing and all-seeing..
Narrator (Fielding) introduces important details that are given very little attention by the narrative voice, lulling the reader into ignoring them.
TALKINGS CHAPTERS PREFACES
Prefaces are always related to the progress of the main plot in Tom Jones.But HOW??
In preface 1 , Fielding’s concern with problems of fiction emerges,In preface 2,his major subject is time,Preface 3exemplifies the principle expressed in 2,Preface 4 prepares the reader for the introduction of Sophia,Preface 5explores the problem of prefaces …Preface 13 combines a further discussion of what characteristics a novelist must possess with a presentation of criterea against which all the characters in the novel must be judged. Preface 17 culminates an attempt to resolve the contradiction between Fielding ‘s commitment in principle to a fiction of fact and nature with his practice of a fiction.Preface 18 emphasizes the paradigmatic importance of the novelist anticipating the self conscious concern of the modern artist with himself and his art.
We can understand that Fielding’s chapters not only embody his concern about the problems of fiction he must confront in the writing of the novel but also the problem of how to write about problems.Chapter 1 presents theme and setting ,chapter 2 presents the handling of temporal sequences ;chapter 3 presents an exemplification of the theory presented in 2 ; chapter 4 prepares the reader for the introduction of Sophia.But chapter 5 explores the problem of chapters .
[...] these laws my readers, whom I consider as my subjects, are bound to believe and to obey; with which that they may readily and cheerfully comply, I do hearby assure them that I shall principally regard their ease and advantage in all such institutions; for I do not, like a jure divino tyrant, imagine that they are my slaves or my commodity. I am, indeed, set over them for their own good only, and was created for their use and not they for mine. Nor do I doubt, while I make their interest the great rule of my writings, they will unanimously concur in supporting my dignity and in rendering me all the honour I shall deserve or desire. (II, 1)
Fielding's implied author demonstrates a very paternal attitude towards both his readers and his characters, displaying a humorous tolerance to all, but ruling over them implacably.
The diseases of the mind do in almost every particular imitate those of the body.For which reason ,we hope ,that learned faculty, for whom we have so profound a respect ,will pardon us the violent hands we have been necessiated to lay on several words and phrases ,which of right belong to them ,and without which our description would have been often unintelligible. In the affair of love,which out of strict conformity with the Stoic philosophy,we shall treat as a disease ,this proneness to relapse is no less conspicuous.Thus it happened to poor Sophia:upon whom ,the very next time she saw young Jones ,all the former symptoms returned ,and from that time cold and hot fits alternately seized her heart( Book 4 ,Chapter 12).
In chapter 5,Fielding mentions about ‘Love’and this preface is a key weapon in Fielding’s arsenal of fictional devices utilized to persuade the reader to accept Sophia as an embodiment of his vision of feminine perfection.Fielding challenges his reader to “Examine your heart..and resolve whether you do believe these matters with me.If you do,you may proceed to their exemplification in the following pages; if you do not ,you have already read more than you have understood”.
I think ,we may very fairly draw an argument ,to prove how extremely natural virtue is to the fair sex: for though there is not ,perhaps ,one in ten thousand who is capable of making a good actress; and even among these we are rarely see two who are equally able to personate the same character ; yet this of virtue they can all admirably put on;and as well those individuals who have it not , as those who possess it,can all act it to the utmost degree of perfection (Book 10,Chapter 2).
The author’s pretended intention is to prove that virtue is natural to women.The argument he adduces is that in spite of being bad actors ,they can all act the part of virtue admirably.But this argument merely demonstrates that far from being naturally virtuous ,women only act the part ‘ to the utmost degree of perfection.’
