Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Henry Fielding — Context and Discussion

Catalog Subjects vs. Actual Content

The catalog lists only “Indexes” as a subject, with secondary tags “general-literature” and “reference-general.” While the work is indeed an index, the excerpts reveal that it is far more than a bare list. The table of contents for A Journey from This World to the Next includes chapter titles like “The author dies, meets with Mercury” and “The proceedings of Judge Minos at the gate of Elysium,” indicating a satirical, fictional narrative. Similarly, Tom Jones chapters contain “A crust for the critics” and “Showing what is to be deemed plagiarism.” The index thus points to literary works rich in parody and authorial commentary, not merely reference entries.

Fielding's Structural Signatures

The excerpts display Fielding's characteristic use of book and chapter divisions that comment on the action. In Tom Jones, Book X is titled “IN WHICH THE HISTORY GOES FORWARD ABOUT TWELVE HOURS,” while Book XI covers “ABOUT THREE DAYS.” Such precise temporal markers are typical of Fielding's mock-heroic style. The chapter headings often promise instruction: “Containing instructions very necessary to be perused by modern critics” or “Containing infallible nostrums for procuring universal disesteem and hatred.” These headings do not merely summarize events but engage in meta-literary play, a feature consistent across the listed works.

The Editor's Role and the Index's Purpose

David Widger, the editor, produced this index as part of Project Gutenberg's volunteer effort. The excerpts include standard Project Gutenberg boilerplate about donations and the Literary Archive Foundation, but the core of the work is a clickable table of contents linking to individual ebooks. The index lists not only major novels but also plays like The Old Debauchees and a poem, The Lovers Assistant. This suggests Widger aimed to provide access to Fielding's full range, not just his most famous novels. The inclusion of “APOLOGY FOR LIFE OF MRS. SHAMELA ANDREWS” indicates that even Fielding's lesser-known satires are covered.

Readers using this index should note that the chapter headings reproduced here are often the most entertaining part of Fielding's works—they reward browsing. The index itself does not contain the full texts, but it offers a structured entry point into Fielding's oeuvre as available on Project Gutenberg. For those interested in Fielding's narrative techniques, comparing the headings across different titles reveals his consistent use of irony and direct address.

I remember tracing Fielding’s chapter titles with a pencil, the way he winks at the reader before the tale turns. It felt like a handshake across centuries. A similar quiet settled over me once with Synonyms and antonyms — Reading Notes, where every word seemed to hold its own mirror, asking me to linger rather than hurry.