The True Patriot and Related Writings
Henry Fielding author W B Coley editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:24th Sep '87
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A substantial amount of the energy which Henry Fielding put into his writing was invested in political journalism and pamphleteering. Indeed, next to his prose fiction and his plays, his political journalism looms largest, and reveals significant aspects of Fielding the man. This volume contains three pamphlets - the Serious Address, the History of the Present Rebellion, and the Dialogue between the Devil, the Pope, and the Pretender - and one journal, the True Patriot of 1745-6. Coming from what may be called the second period of Fielding's intensive political journalism, they are all informed by the same political purpose: to deal with the crisis represented by the Jacobite uprising known as the 'Forty-Five' and with the implications this event was perceived to have for the Pelham administration in general, and for its new 'patriot' allies in particular. As with other volumes in the edition, there is a detailed introduction, textual introduction, full annotation throughout, and an index.
'This volume's great distinction is its awareness of the shifting political context as the Jacobite threat ran its course. In consequence, Coley shows us a Fielding less heroic in his motives but altogther more believable ... Coley expertly draws on a wealth of contemporary newspapers and pamphlets, Fielding's own published writings, and manuscript letters to produce new and vividly informative contextual commentary.' Times Literary Supplement
'The high reputation of the Wesleyan edition of Fielding's works will be further increased by this volume...' Notes and Queries
'This valuable edition is important not only for what it contributes to Fielding studies but also for the light it throws on the political literature of the period.' Notes and Queries
'W. B. Coley has provided a reliable text of these political writings and he has edited them to the very highest standards ... footnotes porovide a wealth of relevant and accurate information which makes it easier for the modern reader to understand Fielding's texts.' H.T. Dickinson, University of Edinburgh, Studies in Scottish Literature, Volume XXV
ISBN: 9780198185116
Dimensions: 242mm x 160mm x 29mm
Weight: 860g
552 pages