Chapter 5 Tom Jones and Shandy

Fielding's Tom Jones is perhaps the most dynamic book in the history of English literature.It is eye-catching, courageous, inspiring, determined, forgiving, and remarkably honest.Tom Jones has a good skin, is full of life, and is a character that everyone likes.Although he did some immoral things, who cares?We are not serious moralists.Fielding, unlike Defoe, was a conscious artist.The structure of his stories gave him the opportunity to describe many events and to create a variety of characters who lived in high profile in that loud and tumultuous world.Fielding took his work seriously (as, of course, every writer should) and felt it necessary to address certain topics himself, inserting an author's statement at the beginning of each chapter.Humorous and honest as they are, it seems to me that it would do no harm to omit them.I don't think anyone can read "Tom Jones" without pleasure, because this is a vigorous and lively book, there is no lie in it, and it can make people feel warm from the bottom of their hearts.

Sterne's "Thandy" is a novel like no other.To quote Dr. Johnson about Sir Charles Grandison: "If you read it because you want to read a story, you'd want to hang yourself." It's a strange book. People with different temperaments will have completely different evaluations after reading the book.Some thought it as readable as any other book, others thought it dull and artificial.The content of the book is loose, without coherence, and one side after another emerges from time to time, but it is very original, humorous and touching.This is a book that will add to your spiritual wealth, with half a dozen very personal characters, so charming that once you get acquainted with them, you will feel that if you have not dealt with them, you will not be able to make up for it Loss.I also recommend reading A Sentimental Journey by Stern, I have no words to describe it other than charming.