letters on literature-第4节

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the　poetry　of　Mr。　Bridges。　　I　owe　so　much　pleasure　to　its　delicate

air；　that；　if　speech　be　impertinence；　silence　were　ingratitude。　｛2｝







FIELDING







To　Mrs。　Goodhart；　in　the　Upper　Mississippi　Valley。



Dear　Madam；Many　thanks　for　the　New　York　newspaper　you　have　kindly

sent　me；　with　the　statistics　of　book…buying　in　the　Upper　Mississippi

Valley。　　Those　are　interesting　particulars　which　tell　one　so　much

about　the　taste　of　a　community。



So　the　Rev。　E。　P。　Roe　is　your　favourite　novelist　there；　a　thousand

of　his　books　are　sold　for　every　two　copies　of　the　works　of　Henry

Fielding？　　This　appears　to　me　to　speak　but　oddly　for　taste　in　the

Upper　Mississippi　Valley。　　On　Mr。　Roe's　works　I　have　no　criticism　to

pass；　for　I　have　not　read　them　carefully。



But　I　do　think　your　neighbours　lose　a　great　deal　by　neglecting　Henry

Fielding。　　You　will　tell　me　he　is　coarse　（which　I　cannot　deny）；　you

will　remind　me　of　what　Dr。　Johnson　said；　rebuking　Mrs。　Hannah　More。

〃I　never　saw　Johnson　really　angry　with　me　but　once；〃　writes　that

sainted　maiden　lady。　　〃I　alluded　to　some　witty　passage　in　'Tom

Jones。'〃　　He　replied：　　〃I　am　shocked　to　hear　you　quote　from　so

vicious　a　book。　　I　am　sorry　to　hear　you　have　read　it；　a　confession

which　no　modest　lady　should　ever　make。〃



You　remind　me　of　this；　and　that　Johnson　was　no　prude；　and　that　his

age　was　tolerant。　　You　add　that　the　literary　taste　of　the　Upper

Mississippi　Valley　is　much　more　pure　than　the　waters　of　her　majestic

river；　and　that　you　only　wish　you　knew　who　the　two　culprits　were

that　bought　books　of　Fielding's。



Ah；　madam；　how　shall　I　answer　you？　　Remember　that　if　you　have

Johnson　on　your　side；　on　mine　I　have　Mrs。　More　herself；　a　character

purer　than　〃the　consecrated　snow　that　lies　on　Dian's　lap。〃　　Again；

we　cannot　believe　Johnson　was　fair　to　Fielding；　who　had　made　his

friend；　the　author　of　〃Pamela；〃　very　uncomfortable　by　his　jests。

Johnson　owned　that　he　read　all　〃Amelia〃　at　one　sitting。　　Could　so

worthy　a　man　have　been　so　absorbed　by　an　unworthy　book？



Once　more；　I　am　not　recommending　Fielding　to　boys　and　girls。　　〃Tom

Jones〃　was　one　of　the　works　that　Lydia　Languish　hid　under　the　sofa；

even　Miss　Languish　did　not　care　to　be　caught　with　that　humorous

foundling。　　〃Fielding　was　the　last　of　our　writers　who　drew　a　man；〃

Mr。　Thackeray　said；　〃and　he　certainly　did　not　study　from　a　draped

model。〃



For　these　reasons；　and　because　his　language　is　often　unpolished；　and

because　his　morality　（that　he　is　always　preaching）　is　not　for　〃those

that　eddy　round　and　round；〃　I　do　not　desire　to　see　Fielding　popular

among　Miss　Alcott's　readers。　　But　no　man　who　cares　for　books　can

neglect　him；　and　many　women　are　quite　manly　enough；　have　good　sense

and　good　taste　enough；　to　benefit　by　〃Amelia；〃　by　much　of　〃Tom

Jones。〃　　I　don't　say　by　〃Joseph　Andrews。〃　　No　man　ever　respected

your　sex　more　than　Henry　Fielding。　　What　says　his　reformed　rake；　Mr。

Wilson；　in　〃Joseph　Andrews〃？



〃To　say　the　Truth；　I　do　not　perceive　that　Inferiority　of

Understanding　which　the　Levity　of　Rakes；　the　Dulness　of　Men　of

Business；　and　the　Austerity　of　the　Learned　would　persuade　us　of　in

Women。　　As　for　my　Wife；　I　declare　I　have　found　none　of　my　own　Sex

capable　of　making　juster　Observations　on　Life；　or　of　delivering　them

more　agreeably；　nor　do　I　believe　any　one　possessed　of　a　faithfuller

or　braver　Friend。〃



He　has　no　other　voice　wherein　to　speak　of　a　happy　marriage。　　Can　you

find　among　our　genteel　writers　of　this　age；　a　figure　more　beautiful；

tender；　devoted；　and　in　all　good　ways　womanly　than　Sophia　Western's？

〃Yes；〃　you　will　say；　〃but　the　man　must　have　been　a　brute　who　could

give　her　to　Tom　Jones；　to　'that　fellow　who　sold　himself；'　as　Colonel

Newcome　said。〃　　〃There　you　have　me　at　an　avail；〃　in　the　language　of

the　old　romancers。　　There　we　touch　the　centre　of　Fielding's

morality；　a　subject　ill　to　discuss；　a　morality　not　for　everyday

preaching。



Fielding　distinctly　takes　himself　for　a　moralist。　　He　preaches　as

continually　as　Thackeray。　　And　his　moral　is　this：　　〃Let　a　man　be

kind；　generous；　charitable；　tolerant；　brave；　honestand　we　may

pardon　him　vices　of　young　blood；　and　the　stains　of　adventurous

living。〃　　Fielding　has　no　mercy　on　a　seducer。　　Lovelace　would　have

fared　worse　with　him　than　with　Richardson；　who；　I　verily　believe；

admired　that　infernal　（excuse　me）　coward　and　villain。　　The　case　of

young　Nightingale；　in　〃Tom　Jones；〃　will　show　you　what　Fielding

thought　of　such　gallants。　　Why；　Tom　himself　preaches　to　Nightingale。

〃Miss　Nancy's　Interest　alone；　and　not　yours；　ought　to　be　your　sole

Consideration；〃　cried　Thomas；　。　。　。　〃and　the　very　best　and　truest

Honour；　which　is　Goodness；　requires　it　of　you；〃　that　is；　requires

that　Nightingale　shall　marry　Miss　Nancy。



How　Tom　Jones　combined　these　sentiments；　which　were　perfectly

honest；　with　his　own　astonishing　lack　of　retenue；　and　with　Lady

Bellaston；　is　just　the　puzzle。　　We　cannot　very　well　argue　about　it。

I　only　ask　you　to　let　Jones　in　his　right　mind　partly　excuse　Jones　in

a　number　of　very　delicate　situations。　　If　you　ask　me　whether　Sophia

had　not；　after　her　marriage；　to　be　as　forgiving　as　Amelia；　I　fear　I

must　admit　that　probably　it　was　so。　　But　Dr。　Johnson　himself　thought

little　of　that。



I　am　afraid　our　only　way　of　dealing　with　Fielding's　morality　is　to

take　the　best　of　it　and　leave　the　remainder　alone。　　Here　I　find　that

I　have　unconsciously　agreed　with　that　well…known　philosopher；　Mr。

James　Boswell；　the　younger；　of　Auchinleck：



〃The　moral　tendency　of　Fielding's　writings　。　。　。　is　ever　favourable

to　honour　and　honesty；　and　cherishes　the　benevolent　and　generous

affections。　　He　who　is　as　good　as　Fielding　would　make　him　is　an

amiable　member　of　society；　and　may　be　led　on　by　more　regulated

instructions　to　a　higher　state　of　ethical　perfection。〃



Let　us　be　as　good　and　simple　as　Adams；　without　his　vanity　and　his

oddity；　as　brave　and　generous　as　Jones；　without　Jones's　faults；　and

what　a　world　of　men　and　women　it　will　become！　　Fielding　did　not

paint　that　unborn　world；　he　sketched　the　world　he　knew　very　well。

He　found　that　respectable　people　were　often　perfectly　blind　to　the

duties　of　charity　in　every　sense　of　the　word。　　He　found　that　the

only　man　in　a　whole　company　who　pitied　Joseph　Andrews；　when　stripped

and　beaten　by　robbers　was　a　postilion　with　defects　in　his　moral

character。　　In　short；　he　knew　that　respectability　often　practised

none　but　the　strictly　self…regarding　virtues；　and　that　poverty　and

recklessness　did　not　always　extinguish　a　native　goodness　of　heart。

Perhaps　this　discovery　made　him　leniently　disposed　to　〃characters

and　situations　so　wretchedly　low　and　dirty；　that　I；〃　say　the　author

of　〃Pamela；〃　〃could　not　be　interested　for　any　one　of　them。〃



How　amusing　Richardson　always　was　about　Fielding！　　How　jealousy；

spite；　and　the　confusion　of　mind　that　befogs　a　prig　when　he　is　not

taken　seriously；　do　darken　the　eyes　of　the　author　of　〃those

deplorably　tedious　lamentations；　'Clarissa'　and　'Sir　Charles

Grandison；'〃　as　Horace　Walpole　calls　them！



Fielding　asks　his　Muse　to　give　him　〃humour　and　good　humour。〃　　What

novelist　was　ever　so　rich　in　both？　　Who　ever　laughed　at　mankind　with

so　much　affection　for　mankind　in　his　heart？　　This　love　shines　in

every　book　of　his。　　The　poor　have　all　his　good…will；　and　in　him　an

untired　advocate　and　friend。　　What　a　life　the　poor　led　in　the

England　of　1742！　　There　never　before　was　such　tyranny　without　a

servile　insurrection。　　I　remember　a　dreadful　passage　in　〃Joseph

Andrews；〃　where　Lady　Booby　is　trying　to　have　Fanny；　Joseph's

sweetheart；　locked　up　in　prison：…



〃It　would　do　a　Man　good；〃　says　her　accomplice；　Scout；　〃to　see　his

Worship；　our　Justice；　commit　a　Fellow　to　Bridewell；　he　takes　so　much

pleasure　in　it。　　And　when　once　we　ha'　'um　there；　we　seldom　hear　any

more　o'　'um。　　He's　either　starved　or　eat　up　by　Vermin　in　a　Month's

Time。〃



This　England；　with　its　dominant　Squires；　who　behaved　much　like

robber　barons　on　the　Rhine；　was　the　merry　England　Fielding　tried　to

turn　from　some　of　its　ways。　　I　seriously　do　believe　that；　with　all

its　faults；　it　was　a　better　place；　with　a　better　breed　of　men；　than

our　England　of　to…day。　　But　Fielding　satirized　intolerable

injustice。



He　would　be　a　Reformer；　a　didactic　writer。　　If　we　are　to　have

nothing　but　〃Art　for　Art's　sake；〃　that　burly　body　of　Harry

Fielding's　must　even　go　to　the　wall。　　The　first　Beau　Didapper　of　a

critic　that　passes　can　shove　him　aside。　　He　preaches　like　Thackeray；

he　writes　〃with　a　purpose〃　like　Dickensobsolete　old　authors。　　His

cause　is　judged；　and　into　Bridewell　he　goes；　if　l'Art　pour　l'Art　is

all　the　literary　law　and　the　prophets。



But　Fielding　cannot　be　kept　in　prison　long。　　His　noble　English；　his

sonorous　voice　must　be　heard。　　There　is　somewhat　inexpressibly

heartening；　to　me；　in　the　style　of　Fielding。　　One　seems　to　be

carried　along；　like　a　swimmer　in　a　strong；　clear　strea