Introduction

Sarah Fielding’s first published work, in all probability, is a three-paragraph fictional letter, “From Leonora to Horatio,” which appears in her brother Henry’s novel The History and Adventures of Joseph Andrews (1742). In many ways, “From Leonora to Horatio” is an inauspicious beginning to a literary career. Although well crafted, the letter plays a minor role in the story of Leonora and Horatio, which is itself inconsequential to the larger issues of the novel. The letter begins with Leonora praising Horatio’s refinement of mind and acknowledging “all the generous principles” that are contained in his breast. ¹ Leonora then imagines a future in which Horatio’s worthiness will transform domestic toils into welcomed diversions and in which only “the unavoidable inconveniences of life can make us remember that we are mortal.” ² In the final paragraph, Leonora complains of the tedious company of women, all of whom she believes are jealous of Horatio’s love for her and reflects on how fortunate she is to be in love with one who appeals equally to her heart and mind. Horatio’s merit, she explains, prevents the uneasiness of being attracted to a person whom “judgment forces me to condemn.” ³ Although the letter appears to offer little to the political biographer, it is a fitting, if somewhat frustrating, starting point for this study. The letter, in fact, points to two of the biggest challenges in discussing Sarah Fielding’s life and politics: the paucity of available biographical information and the author’s apparent lack of interest in politics.