Henry Fielding and the nature of ideal womanhood

This thesis is an exploration of Henry Fielding's unconventional and relatively liberated treatment of his female protagonists in the novels Tom Jones and Amelia. While I make no claim that Fielding is a feminist, I wish to re-examine the common contention that he is a masculinist. I have chosen Tom Jones and Amelia for study because the heroines in these novels are the most highly developed of Fielding's female characters, and further because, by realizing many of the traits Fielding thought most admirable in and necessary to humanity, they most fully express his willingness to examine and redefine conventional sexual roles.;My thesis consists of two chapters. The first chapter deals with Sophia Western in Tom Jones, and explores her as a comic character, as a moral being accorded free will, and finally, as the novel's embodiment of wisdom and maturity. The second chapter concerns Amelia Booth, the heroine of Amelia. Recognizing that the world in Amelia is a problematical place where people's actions, intentions and interactions with society are often misguided and confused, I try to determine the heroine's role within this novel. My object in both chapters is to discover how vital a role the heroines play, and to discuss if Fielding's idealized portrayal of his female protagonists renders them static and stereotypical, or if they surpass conventional conceptions of excellence in order to epitomize a better humanity.