Editing Henry Fielding (section)

{{Short description|English novelist and dramatist (1707–1754)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name             = Henry Fielding
| image            = Fielding.jpg
| pseudonym        = "Captain Hercules Vinegar", "H. Scriblerus Secundus"; some work published anonymously
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1707|4|22|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Sharpham]], [[Somerset]], England
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1754|10|8|1707|4|22|df=y}}
| death_place      = [[Lisbon]], [[Kingdom of Portugal]]
| occupation       = Novelist, dramatist and essayist
| nationality      = English
| relatives        = [[Sarah Fielding]], [[John Fielding]]
| period           = 1728–1754
| genre            = Comedy, satire, picaresque
| movement         = [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], [[Augustan literature|Augustan Age]]
| education        = [[Eton College]]
}}

'''Henry Fielding''' (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English writer and magistrate known for the use of humour and satire in his works.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Levine |first=George R. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/971364640 |title=Henry Fielding and the dry mock: a study of the techniques of irony in his early works. |date=1967 |publisher=De Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-140039-6 |location=Berlin/Boston |pages=11 |oclc=971364640}}</ref> His 1749 comic novel ''[[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling]]'' was a seminal work in the genre. Along with [[Samuel Richardson]], Fielding is seen as the founder of the traditional English novel. He also played an important role in the [[history of law enforcement in the United Kingdom]], using his authority as a magistrate to found the [[Bow Street Runners]], London's first professional [[Police|police force]].