ABSTRACT
The Journey from this World to the Next first appeared in the second volume of Henry Fielding's Miscellanies, in April 1743. Much of it was probably composed in 1741–2, but some parts may be earlier still. The Journey is inferior to Jonathan Wild, but comes next in importance among the works in the Miscellanies. The Journey looks back not only to Lucian, but to more recent traditions of learned satire, including Swift and the Scriblerus Club. Although never a member of that group, Fielding had identified himself with its satiric manner and objectives many years before the Journey. Like Swift's Tale of a Tub, the Journey is presented not simply as an argument or narrative, however satirical, but as a learned edition of itself. The Journey was patched together from a variety of papers, and Fielding did not do much to ease his transitions or to round off his sectional or final conclusions.
