Book excerpt: In this study, author Nancy A. Mace rectifies the lack of scholarly attention given Henry Fielding's use of the classical tradition in his novels, periodical essays, and miscellaneous writings. Although scholars have extensively studied the affinities between Henry Fielding's novels and such modern genres as the romance, travel literature, and criminal biography, they have paid surprisingly little attention to his use of the classical tradition in developing both his narrative theory and practice.