| Author | Henry Fielding |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Satire |
Publication date | 1743 |
| Publication place | England |
| Media type | Printed |
| Preceded by | Joseph Andrews (1742) |
| Followed by | Tom Jones (1749) |
The Life and Death of the Late Jonathan Wild, the Great is a satiric novel by Henry Fielding. It was published in 1743 in Fielding's Miscellanies, third volume. It is a satiric account of the life of London underworld boss Jonathan Wild (1682–1725). It is an experiment in the various narrative genres that were popular at the time: serious history, criminal biography, political satire, and picaresque novel. Some have argued that it is mainly a satire on Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, who was continuously charged by his political enemies with allegations of corruption.[1]