Henry Fielding, the Scriblerians, and the Consumption of Ancient Epic
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Exeter
Department Name: English
Abstract
Henry Fielding was always keen to stress that his novels were modelled on classical epic. Equally, he was fascinated by - and wrote at length about - the fact that they were objects to be consumed. He recognised that he wrote in an age when an author had to consider himself as a businessman, catering to a discerning clientele. In describing his work, he alludes (sometimes within the same sentence) both to Homeric epic and to cookery books.
Critics have not realised how strange it was for him simultaneously to stress his work's classical origins and its eventual consumption. Fielding wrote in the shadow of a group of authors known as the 'Scriblerians' - foremost among them Jonathan Swift, John Gay, and Alexander Pope. Early in his career, he even signed himself 'Scriblerus Secundus'. But Swift, Gay, and Pope had all recoiled from the idea that classical literature might be subject to the values of the marketplace. Pope, for example, published a 'Receipt to Make an Epick Poem', in which he poured scorn on the idea that the same set of rules might apply to cookery and literature.
This project examines the way in which Fielding's reading of classical literature draws on those of the previous generation of writers. It will examine the extent to which Fielding rejects the literary manifesto of Swift, Gay, and Pope. Drawing on a wide variety of sources (including works of classical scholarship and eighteenth-century cookery writing), it will offer a fuller picture than has previously been available of Fielding's practice as a novelist, and of his theory of the novel. It will build on exciting recent work in the field of classical reception, establishing the influence of ancient literature on the early novel. It will also offer a portrait of the way in which literature was consumed in the first half of the eighteenth century.
Critics have not realised how strange it was for him simultaneously to stress his work's classical origins and its eventual consumption. Fielding wrote in the shadow of a group of authors known as the 'Scriblerians' - foremost among them Jonathan Swift, John Gay, and Alexander Pope. Early in his career, he even signed himself 'Scriblerus Secundus'. But Swift, Gay, and Pope had all recoiled from the idea that classical literature might be subject to the values of the marketplace. Pope, for example, published a 'Receipt to Make an Epick Poem', in which he poured scorn on the idea that the same set of rules might apply to cookery and literature.
This project examines the way in which Fielding's reading of classical literature draws on those of the previous generation of writers. It will examine the extent to which Fielding rejects the literary manifesto of Swift, Gay, and Pope. Drawing on a wide variety of sources (including works of classical scholarship and eighteenth-century cookery writing), it will offer a fuller picture than has previously been available of Fielding's practice as a novelist, and of his theory of the novel. It will build on exciting recent work in the field of classical reception, establishing the influence of ancient literature on the early novel. It will also offer a portrait of the way in which literature was consumed in the first half of the eighteenth century.
Planned Impact
The aim of my research is to advance public understanding of the works of Henry Fielding, and to show how Fielding (and others) used the classical tradition as a means of exploring the commodification of culture. The major beneficiaries of the investigation will be academic, but I have identified two groups of non-academic beneficiaries.
1) Non-academic readers of periodicals such as the Times Literary Supplement. I regularly write for the TLS and for similar publications, and will publish some of my work-in-progress in the form of a commentary piece of c. 3,000 words. Various aspects of my investigation are of potential interest to non-academic readers - in particular Fielding's extensive reference to cookery writing. The experience of publishing ongoing research to a wide audience will be extremely valuable, resulting in feedback of a different nature from that available at academic conferences.
2) Schoolchildren. My research covers ground of potential interest to schoolchildren, especially those studying English and history. I aim to speak and to run workshops in local schools, on topics arising from my research. Two areas will be of particular interest to this group: 1) my work on the language of consumption in the eighteenth century, and 2) my work on the reinvention of classical texts and ideas. Talking about classical reception in schools is an effective way of engaging pupils who may not have studied classics formally, but might be interested in studying it at university level.
I have already made contact with an editor at the TLS, and am currently establishing links with schools in the South West, through the University of Exeter's Outreach team. Further details are given in my Impact Plan.
1) Non-academic readers of periodicals such as the Times Literary Supplement. I regularly write for the TLS and for similar publications, and will publish some of my work-in-progress in the form of a commentary piece of c. 3,000 words. Various aspects of my investigation are of potential interest to non-academic readers - in particular Fielding's extensive reference to cookery writing. The experience of publishing ongoing research to a wide audience will be extremely valuable, resulting in feedback of a different nature from that available at academic conferences.
2) Schoolchildren. My research covers ground of potential interest to schoolchildren, especially those studying English and history. I aim to speak and to run workshops in local schools, on topics arising from my research. Two areas will be of particular interest to this group: 1) my work on the language of consumption in the eighteenth century, and 2) my work on the reinvention of classical texts and ideas. Talking about classical reception in schools is an effective way of engaging pupils who may not have studied classics formally, but might be interested in studying it at university level.
I have already made contact with an editor at the TLS, and am currently establishing links with schools in the South West, through the University of Exeter's Outreach team. Further details are given in my Impact Plan.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Henry Power (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
| Description | This project looked at Henry Fielding's adaptation of classical epic in the context of what he called the 'Trade of . . . authoring'. Fielding was always keen to stress that his novels were modelled on classical literature. Equally, he was fascinated by-and wrote at length about-the fact that they were objects to be consumed. He recognised that he wrote in an age when an author had to consider himself 'as one who keeps a public Ordinary, at which all persons are welcome for their Money.' In describing his work, he alludes both to Homeric epic and to contemporary cookery books. This tension in Fielding's work has gone unexplored, a tension between his commitment to a classical tradition and his immersion in a print culture in which books were consumable commodities. This interest in the place of the ancients in a world of consumerism was inherited from the previous generation of satirists. The 'Scriblerians'-among them Jonathan Swift, John Gay, and Alexander Pope-repeatedly suggest in their work that classical values are at odds with modern tastes and appetites. Fielding, who had idolised these writers as a young man, developed many of their satiric routines in his own writing. But Fielding broke from Swift, Gay, and Pope in creating a version of epic designed to appeal to modern consumers. |
| Exploitation Route | By offering a new model of the way in which classical reception worked in the eighteenth century, my work -- which will be published as a monograph by Oxford University Press in 2015 -- should prompt further research into authors such as Swift, Pope, and Fielding. |
| Sectors | Education,Other |