Amelia (novel)

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Amelia

Title page from the first edition
Author Henry Fielding
Country England
Language English
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher A. Millar
Publication date 1751
Media type Print
ISBN NA

Amelia is a sentimental novel by Henry Fielding.

[edit] Plot summary

Amelia is a domestic novel taking place largely in London and describes the hardships suffered by a a young couple newly married. It is widely believed that Amelia was modelled after Fielding's own wife, Charlotte Craddock, and that the novel contains autobiographical elements.

Against her mother's wishes, Amelia marries William Booth, a dashing young army officer. The couple run away to London. William is unjustly imprisoned in Newgate, and is subsequently seduced by Miss Matthews. Amelia, by contrast, resists the attentions paid to her by several men in William's absence and stays faithful to him. She forgives his transgression, but William soon draws them into trouble again as he accrues gambling debts trying to lift the couple out of poverty. He soon finds himself in debtors' prison. Amelia then discovers that she is her mother's heiress and, the debt being settled, William is released and the couple retires to the country.