ABSTRACT
Henry Fielding was an unlikely figure to help pioneer a radically new literary technique. He was born in the heart of agrarian Somerset. Fielding's parodic vein ran so strongly that he incorporated imitation of other currently fashionable books, in particular Colley Cibber's Apology for [his] Life and Conyers Middleton's History of the Life of Cicero. In 1743 Fielding brought out three volumes of miscellanies. These included some earlier work, and as the impressive list of subscribers indicates were meant chiefly to improve Fielding's financial standing. Fielding makes the narrative voice approachable, friendly, and sympathetic, though without any loss of dignity. Fielding survived less than three years after Amelia. His health had been failing for some time, and he did not spare it as crime mounted and his responsibilities increased. Amelia is already a post-Augustan work; it stresses situation, not action, and allows the characters' feelings to seep into the emotional texture of the narrative.
