The Adventures of David Simple: Containing an Account of His Travels Through the Cities of London and Westminster, in the Search of a Real Friend ; And, The Adventures of David Simple, Volume the Last : in which His History is ConcludedUniversity Press of Kentucky, 1998 - 399 pages Sarah Fielding (1710-1768), the author of five novels, a children's story, an imaginative historical biography, a critical treatise on Clarissa, and a translation from the Greek of Xenophon, is among the most versatile and interesting eighteenth-century women writers. The Adventures of David Simple (1744), Fielding's first and most celebrated novel, went through many English editions -- including a second edition heavily revised by her brother Henry -- and was translated into German and French. The guileless hero, having been cheated by his hypocritical younger brother, sets out to find a "real friend". In recounting David's search, the novel depicts the derision with which almost everyone treats his sentimental attitudes to human nature. An important secondary character acts as a mouthpiece for some provocative feminist ideas. This edition makes the original text of the novel available for the first time since 1744. It also reproduces Fielding's much darker sequel, Volume the Last (1753), in which a string of disasters befalls David and his family. |
From inside the book
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... whole Company of People , none of whom were in any manner of want of it . This was a melancholy Prospect for poor David ; for nothing could be a stronger Proof of the selfish and mercenary Tempers of Mankind , than to see those People ...
... whole Happiness is center'd , they think it a small Price to pay , for what they esteem so valuable . But the worst of it is , some of them cannot afford to play , but sacrifice that Fortune to nothing but the Vanity of appearing with ...
... whole Year , they were convinced that the whole Money was irretrievably lost . But this Misfortune broke very little into the Tranquility of our happy Society . It only obliged them to change their Inten- tions of purchasing an Estate ...
Contents
Book I | 3 |
Substantive Variants between the First and Second Editions | 350 |
Emendations | 367 |
Copyright | |
Other editions - View all
The Adventures of David Simple: Containing an Account of His Travels Through ... Sarah Fielding No preview available - 2018 |