FIELDING'S "THE LIFE OF MR. JONATHAN WILD THE GREAT": A TEXTUAL AND CRITICAL STUDY.
Item
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Title
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FIELDING'S "THE LIFE OF MR. JONATHAN WILD THE GREAT": A TEXTUAL AND CRITICAL STUDY.
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Identifier
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AAI8212190
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identifier
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8212190
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Creator
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FRIEDMAN, ROY BENNIS.
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Contributor
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Robert A. Day
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, English
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Abstract
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This comprehensive study of Fielding's The Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great is divided into three sections. Part I consists of a historical survey of criticism of Jonathan Wild, an examination of the life of the real Jonathan Wild in the light of newly published information, and a discussion of the "literary" and politically motivated treatments of Wild's life that had appeared before Fielding's book.;Part 2 describes the specific circumstances surrounding the composition and publication of Jonathan Wild in 1743 and analyzes the extensive revisions that Fielding made for the second edition of 1754. On the basis of internal and external evidence, it is argued that Fielding wrote Jonathan Wild hurriedly under great stress in 1741-42, and not in several stages some time between 1737 and 1742 as most scholars believe. A comparison of the texts of 1743 and 1754 demonstrates how Fielding refined his style, sharpened characterizations, increased verisimilitude, expanded authorial commentary, enhanced pacing and structure, and more fully developed literary, legal, religious, and political themes.;Part 3 analyzes and assesses the text of 1754, which Fielding completed nine months before his death. The first chapter discusses Fielding's aim and design as expressed in the Preface to the Miscellanies (1743) and as revealed in the action, characterizations, allusions, and style of the revised text. The second chapter examines the similarities and differences between Jonathan Wild and the various literary traditions, forms, and techniques that were available to Fielding. The third chapter explores the art with which Fielding juxtaposed numerous genres, modes, and devices in imitation and burlesque to produce a work of varied expectations, effects, and implications that is truly sui generis.;Also examined in this chapter are Fielding's narrative techniques; his characterizations, some of which are more fully drawn than has generally been recognized; and his style, which is created in part by the opposition and interplay of two personae, the mock biographer and the narrator. The study concludes with a discussion of the vision--at once reassuring and challenging--that Fielding expresses through the artful integration of the literary elements previously considered.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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English
