 | Honest Sins: Georgian Libertinism and the Plays and Novels of Henry Fielding Subjects: Fielding Henry 1707—1754 -- Criticism and interpretation; Libertinism in literature; English literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism; English literature -- 17th century -- History and criticism; Originally cruel, manipulative, and self-serving, during the eighteenth century the Restoration rake evolved into a more cheerful sinner: the good-natured libertine. While Tom Jones was Henry Fielding's most complete embodiment of this new ideal, Tiffany Potter shows that the revised Georgian libertinism informs and illuminates all of his work. |
