One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Ronald Paulson, A. R. Humphreys, Winfield H. Rogers, Ian Watt, Maynard Mack, Mark Spilka, Aurelien Digeon, Andre Gide, Arnold Kettle, John Middleton Murry, William Empson, George Sherburn, and John S. Coolidge--all dealing with the literary work of Henry Fielding. Designed for use by both literary critics and secondary and college teachers of English, this work would also be of value to undergraduate and graduate students of literature. The essays deal with the method and effect of irony, Fielding's early aesthetic and technique, comic resolution in "Joseph Andrews," the sexual ethic in "Tom Jones," conservation of character, "Pamela," and "Johathan Wild." A chronology of important dates in Fielding's life, a brief set of biographical notes on the contributors to this collection, and a bibliography of works on Fielding complete the volume.