Sarah Fielding (1710–1768)
Author of The Adventures of David Simple
About the Author
Works by Sarah Fielding
Associated Works
Recollections of Socrates, and Socratesʹ defense before the jury (1965) — Translator, some editions — 48 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Fielding, Sarah
- Birthdate
- 1710-11-08
- Date of death
- 1768-04-09
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Cathedral Close
Mary Rookes' boarding school - Occupations
- novelist
translator
children's book author - Organizations
- Bluestocking Society
- Relationships
- Fielding, Henry (brother)
Collier, Jane (friend)
Sheridan, Frances (friend) - Short biography
- Sarah Fielding was the daughter of a military officer, and the younger sister of novelist Henry Fielding. She and their sisters were educated at a boarding school in Salisbury after their mother's death and their father’s remarriage in 1719. Their maternal grandmother, Lady Gould, was so opposed to the second marriage that she sued for custody of her grandchildren and won. Sarah contributed to her brother’s work Joseph Andrews (1742), and then began to write her own novels, the most famous of which was The Adventures of David Simple (1744). She also wrote The Governess, or the Little Female Academy (1749), which was one of the earliest books written especially for young girls. Sarah was a close friend of Jane Collier, and the two women collaborated to publish The Cry: A New Dramatic Fable (1754). Sarah Fielding also produced a translation of Xenophon’s’ Memoirs of Socrates (1762), the only one of her many works published under her own name.
- Nationality
- England
UK - Places of residence
- East Stour, Dorset, England
Salisbury, England
London, England, UK
Bath, Somerset, England
Glastonbury, Somerset, England, UK - Place of death
- Bath, Somerset, England, UK
- Burial location
- Bath Abbey
Members
Reviews
This curious little book by Georgian writer Sarah Fielding, first published in 1749, is said to be the first novel in English aimed at children. It recounts a ten day period at a boarding school for girls run by Mrs Teachum. Each chapter involves either a story told by the eldest girl, Miss Jenny Peace, to her classmates, or the life story of one of the schoolgirls, or a vignette from the communal life of the boarding school. Mrs Teachum is an occasional presence. The central character of show more the book is Miss Jenny Peace who spends her time outside of lessons encouraging her fellow pupils to think through the consequences of their instinctive behaviour.
There are plenty of tales, and morals to go with them, in this instructive little book. It is very much of its time in language and symbolism and, for someone born more than two centuries after its first publication, it did grow a little wearing at times. It's such a constant stream of moralising that I had to take breaks from it. Perhaps that says something about my moral core!
Something that struck me, however, is how little reference is made to Christian morals in the stories. If this had been a Victorian book, the moralising would have been quite different. Here, the majority of the guidance calls out to rationality and to a sense of duty to family, rather than to God. The 18th century was when the Age of Enlightenment reached its peak, so the use of reason to instill moral behaviour isn't unexpected, but I had forgotten just how different the Georgians were in their outlook to the Victorians.
Another thing that struck me was the setting of the book in a school for girls, and the nature of the girls at the school. Education wasn't a given for girls in the mid-18th century, and especially not for girls who were orphans or being raised by widowed mothers. Girls were meant to aspire to nothing more than running a household, whether as a wife and mother, the daughter who remains at home to care for her parents, or a woman who works in service. There was no need for improvement in a school environment. But Fielding places her characters in a school and shows that education is a vehicle for improving thought and behaviour. True, the girls are not taught anything in the way of science; the focus of their education is reading, writing and dancing, suggesting a certain class of family. I thought it was a significant aspect to the novel, though. show less
There are plenty of tales, and morals to go with them, in this instructive little book. It is very much of its time in language and symbolism and, for someone born more than two centuries after its first publication, it did grow a little wearing at times. It's such a constant stream of moralising that I had to take breaks from it. Perhaps that says something about my moral core!
Something that struck me, however, is how little reference is made to Christian morals in the stories. If this had been a Victorian book, the moralising would have been quite different. Here, the majority of the guidance calls out to rationality and to a sense of duty to family, rather than to God. The 18th century was when the Age of Enlightenment reached its peak, so the use of reason to instill moral behaviour isn't unexpected, but I had forgotten just how different the Georgians were in their outlook to the Victorians.
Another thing that struck me was the setting of the book in a school for girls, and the nature of the girls at the school. Education wasn't a given for girls in the mid-18th century, and especially not for girls who were orphans or being raised by widowed mothers. Girls were meant to aspire to nothing more than running a household, whether as a wife and mother, the daughter who remains at home to care for her parents, or a woman who works in service. There was no need for improvement in a school environment. But Fielding places her characters in a school and shows that education is a vehicle for improving thought and behaviour. True, the girls are not taught anything in the way of science; the focus of their education is reading, writing and dancing, suggesting a certain class of family. I thought it was a significant aspect to the novel, though. show less
Broadview Press edition, edited by Candace Ward.
First published in 1749, Sarah Fielding's The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy is not, as some other reviewers have claimed, the first children's book to be published in English (far from it!), but it is widely regarded as the first children's novel to appear in that language. Written by Sarah Fielding, the sister of 18th-century literary giant Henry Fielding, it is the story of a group of girls at a school in the north of England, run show more by one Mrs. Teachum. When the pupils become involved in a school brawl over who has the right to the largest apple (ah, the way of temptation!), Miss Jenny Peace, at fourteen years old the eldest girl, and Mrs. Teachum's factotum, steps in and fulfills the promise of her name. Using a dialogue with twelve-year-old Miss Sukey Jennet, Jenny brings all of the nine girls around, and they settle down to a discussion in the garden. Over the next nine days they engage in morally uplifting conversation, reading various fables and stories, and relating incidents from their own young lives which tally with the messages and themes of those readings. Jenny reports on their progress to her teacher, who is pleased by these new developments. In the end, Miss Peace is called home by her aunt, but her example remains, and continues to be used to reform and instruct newer girls...
Although long aware of The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy - I first saw it referenced in Sue Sims and Hilary Clare's The Encyclopaedia of Girls' School Stories - I didn't pick it up until it was an assigned text in one of the courses for my masters program in children's literature. Unlike some other reviewers, I was not put off by its didactic moralizing - one comes to expect this from books of the period, and many that followed it - but rather, fascinated by its depiction of what was then still a new development: a school for girls. Whatever one thinks of the actual messages about girlhood behavior the author seeks to impart - and they are certainly open to criticism - there can be no denying that, by setting her story in a "female academy," and depicting the possibility of young girls changing for the better, as a result of education - the possibility that girls could be educated at all - Sarah Fielding was doing something very progressive and ground-breaking for her day. The form that the author uses to do this - the use of inset stories, moral dialogues between the characters, even the use of aptronyms in naming them - may feel awkward and foreign to the contemporary reader, but then, these are common characteristics of 18th-century literature in general, and can make that literature something of an acquired taste, I find. From the apple-driven brawl at the beginning - a clear reference to the biblical story of Eve, often used to denigrate women in western cultures - to the departure of Jenny Peace at the end - suggesting subsequent Victorian ideas about the reforming angel - this is a book that in some ways looks both forward and backward in its themes. Perhaps it was this that led me to work on a paper about the influence of The Governess on subsequent girls' educational narratives from 1750 through 1825, a most pleasurable and enlightening project.
Highly recommended, to anyone interested in the evolution of children's literature, and particularly, the children's novel, in English. Given its pioneer status, I find it most amusing that the genre to which it belongs - the girls' school story - was until very recently dismissed as trivial by many in the field of children's literature studies. Although I ended up reading many different editions of the book, for my research, the one I started with was this, edited by Candace Ward, and published by Broadview Press (who also published the edition of another 18th-century children's classic I read, The History of Sandford and Merton), in 2005. show less
First published in 1749, Sarah Fielding's The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy is not, as some other reviewers have claimed, the first children's book to be published in English (far from it!), but it is widely regarded as the first children's novel to appear in that language. Written by Sarah Fielding, the sister of 18th-century literary giant Henry Fielding, it is the story of a group of girls at a school in the north of England, run show more by one Mrs. Teachum. When the pupils become involved in a school brawl over who has the right to the largest apple (ah, the way of temptation!), Miss Jenny Peace, at fourteen years old the eldest girl, and Mrs. Teachum's factotum, steps in and fulfills the promise of her name. Using a dialogue with twelve-year-old Miss Sukey Jennet, Jenny brings all of the nine girls around, and they settle down to a discussion in the garden. Over the next nine days they engage in morally uplifting conversation, reading various fables and stories, and relating incidents from their own young lives which tally with the messages and themes of those readings. Jenny reports on their progress to her teacher, who is pleased by these new developments. In the end, Miss Peace is called home by her aunt, but her example remains, and continues to be used to reform and instruct newer girls...
Although long aware of The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy - I first saw it referenced in Sue Sims and Hilary Clare's The Encyclopaedia of Girls' School Stories - I didn't pick it up until it was an assigned text in one of the courses for my masters program in children's literature. Unlike some other reviewers, I was not put off by its didactic moralizing - one comes to expect this from books of the period, and many that followed it - but rather, fascinated by its depiction of what was then still a new development: a school for girls. Whatever one thinks of the actual messages about girlhood behavior the author seeks to impart - and they are certainly open to criticism - there can be no denying that, by setting her story in a "female academy," and depicting the possibility of young girls changing for the better, as a result of education - the possibility that girls could be educated at all - Sarah Fielding was doing something very progressive and ground-breaking for her day. The form that the author uses to do this - the use of inset stories, moral dialogues between the characters, even the use of aptronyms in naming them - may feel awkward and foreign to the contemporary reader, but then, these are common characteristics of 18th-century literature in general, and can make that literature something of an acquired taste, I find. From the apple-driven brawl at the beginning - a clear reference to the biblical story of Eve, often used to denigrate women in western cultures - to the departure of Jenny Peace at the end - suggesting subsequent Victorian ideas about the reforming angel - this is a book that in some ways looks both forward and backward in its themes. Perhaps it was this that led me to work on a paper about the influence of The Governess on subsequent girls' educational narratives from 1750 through 1825, a most pleasurable and enlightening project.
Highly recommended, to anyone interested in the evolution of children's literature, and particularly, the children's novel, in English. Given its pioneer status, I find it most amusing that the genre to which it belongs - the girls' school story - was until very recently dismissed as trivial by many in the field of children's literature studies. Although I ended up reading many different editions of the book, for my research, the one I started with was this, edited by Candace Ward, and published by Broadview Press (who also published the edition of another 18th-century children's classic I read, The History of Sandford and Merton), in 2005. show less
Oxford University Press edition, edited by Jill E. Grey.
Widely considered the first children's novel to be published in the Anglophone world, Sarah Fielding's The Governess was a groundbreaking book in many respects, focusing on what was then a new development: i.e., a school for girls. Published in 1749, it was an assigned text in a course I took while getting my masters in children's literature, and it made such an impression upon me that I decided to write a paper on its influence on show more girls' educational narratives from 1750 through 1825. The first edition of the book that I read, for class, was the one produced by Broadview Press in 2005, edited by Candace Ward. When I went to reread the book, preparatory to beginning my research, I reread it using this edition, published by Oxford University Press in 1968, and edited by Jill E. Grey. I chose this alternative and older edition specifically for Grey's introduction. For a further analysis of the story itself, see my review of the Ward edition. This review will focus on Grey's introduction, a significant eighty-two pages.
The introduction is divided into seven sections, beginning with one examining Fielding's life, from her early days (she was born in 1710) through the publication of The Governess in 1749. It is fascinating to note that Fielding was sent to a girls' boarding school, and at one point studied Classical Greek - both very unusual for girls of her day - which no doubt influenced her subsequent work. It is believed that she began writing The Governess in part for her niece Harriet, the motherless daughter of her brother, famed novelist and playwright Henry Fielding. The second section here looks at Fielding's life from 1749 through her death in 1768, and the third at the influences upon The Governess. Chief among these was her brother; the novelist Samuel Richardson, a personal friend of Fielding's (and a rival of said brother); and the wealth of stories found in classical epics, medieval romances, and eastern tales. In her work, Fielding adapted the educational ideas of John Locke for use with girl pupils, and also adopted some of the methodology recommended by François Fénelon in his Instructions for the Education of a Daughter, first published in Paris in 1687, and translated into English in 1707. Subsequent sections are devoted to Sarah Fielding's views on education, the history of the publication of The Governess, and the influence of the novel on subsequent children's book creators. Here we find authors and titles such as Mme. le Prince de Beaumont (The Young Misses' Magazine and The Young Ladies' Magazine), the pioneering publisher John Newbery (The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes), Richard Johnson (The Little Female Orators), among many others. The seventh and final section of the introduction is devoted to the significance of The Governess, and goes into detail in its analysis of the many groundbreaking and influential aspects of the work, when it came to the development of children's literature in general.
As the foregoing should make plain, Jill E. Grey's sizable introduction here is most informative and illuminating, and well worth the trouble of seeking it out. It certainly aided me in my own research, providing a wealth of ideas for further reading, and is an excellent piece of scholarship, in its own right. I enjoyed rereading The Governess of course, but I found that this time around, armed with the additional information provided by Grey, I had a better understanding of the work, in its context. This 1968 publication from Oxford University Press is part of their "Juvenile Library" series, and so favorably impressed me that I would love to discover any other early children's literature gems included in the collection. Recommended to anyone interested in reading The Governess, and to those who have already read the work, and are seeking more information about it. show less
Widely considered the first children's novel to be published in the Anglophone world, Sarah Fielding's The Governess was a groundbreaking book in many respects, focusing on what was then a new development: i.e., a school for girls. Published in 1749, it was an assigned text in a course I took while getting my masters in children's literature, and it made such an impression upon me that I decided to write a paper on its influence on show more girls' educational narratives from 1750 through 1825. The first edition of the book that I read, for class, was the one produced by Broadview Press in 2005, edited by Candace Ward. When I went to reread the book, preparatory to beginning my research, I reread it using this edition, published by Oxford University Press in 1968, and edited by Jill E. Grey. I chose this alternative and older edition specifically for Grey's introduction. For a further analysis of the story itself, see my review of the Ward edition. This review will focus on Grey's introduction, a significant eighty-two pages.
The introduction is divided into seven sections, beginning with one examining Fielding's life, from her early days (she was born in 1710) through the publication of The Governess in 1749. It is fascinating to note that Fielding was sent to a girls' boarding school, and at one point studied Classical Greek - both very unusual for girls of her day - which no doubt influenced her subsequent work. It is believed that she began writing The Governess in part for her niece Harriet, the motherless daughter of her brother, famed novelist and playwright Henry Fielding. The second section here looks at Fielding's life from 1749 through her death in 1768, and the third at the influences upon The Governess. Chief among these was her brother; the novelist Samuel Richardson, a personal friend of Fielding's (and a rival of said brother); and the wealth of stories found in classical epics, medieval romances, and eastern tales. In her work, Fielding adapted the educational ideas of John Locke for use with girl pupils, and also adopted some of the methodology recommended by François Fénelon in his Instructions for the Education of a Daughter, first published in Paris in 1687, and translated into English in 1707. Subsequent sections are devoted to Sarah Fielding's views on education, the history of the publication of The Governess, and the influence of the novel on subsequent children's book creators. Here we find authors and titles such as Mme. le Prince de Beaumont (The Young Misses' Magazine and The Young Ladies' Magazine), the pioneering publisher John Newbery (The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes), Richard Johnson (The Little Female Orators), among many others. The seventh and final section of the introduction is devoted to the significance of The Governess, and goes into detail in its analysis of the many groundbreaking and influential aspects of the work, when it came to the development of children's literature in general.
As the foregoing should make plain, Jill E. Grey's sizable introduction here is most informative and illuminating, and well worth the trouble of seeking it out. It certainly aided me in my own research, providing a wealth of ideas for further reading, and is an excellent piece of scholarship, in its own right. I enjoyed rereading The Governess of course, but I found that this time around, armed with the additional information provided by Grey, I had a better understanding of the work, in its context. This 1968 publication from Oxford University Press is part of their "Juvenile Library" series, and so favorably impressed me that I would love to discover any other early children's literature gems included in the collection. Recommended to anyone interested in reading The Governess, and to those who have already read the work, and are seeking more information about it. show less
It is interesting to read a book on Clarissa's reception at the time of its publication. When reading the original book, it is difficult for me to understand which parts of the character's mentality come from the time and culture in which the story was written, and which parts are specific to Richardson's creation. For example, as a 21st century reader I do not share the same ethical values as the characters. Were these moral values shared by people who lived in the 18th century? By reading show more Sarah Fielding's book I was able to understand that some people did, and some did not. It was also interesting to note that the questions that Sarah Fielding asks the book are quite different from the analysis that people would do nowadays, but not less pertinent. show less
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