A Journey from This World to the Next
by Henry Fielding (1707–1754)
- Free to read
- 3 hours to read
- 27 chapters
- Reading level: 10th to 12th grade
"A Journey from This World to the Next" by Henry Fielding is a satirical novel written in the early 18th century. The narrative follows a protagonist who, upon dying, embarks on an allegorical journey to the afterlife, encountering various spirits and interpreting the experiences of life and death through whimsical adventures and philosophical reflections. The opening of the novel introduces the protagonist's death and his immediate meeting with Mercury, who guides him to the stage that leads to the other world. After a humorous escape from his lifeless body, the protagonist learns he must quickly depart for the afterlife. The narrative is rich with whimsical observations about the nature of life and death, as he begins his journey filled with interactions with other spirits, each offering tales of their own deaths and engaging in discussions about the follies of the earthly realm. The tone is light-hearted yet thought-provoking, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of moral and philosophical themes through satire.
- Supernatural
- English fiction
- Paranormal fiction
Read the opening
Chapter I
The author dies, meets with Mercury, and is by him conducted
to the stage which sets out for the other world.
On the first day of December 1741 [1] I departed this life at my lodgings in Cheapside. My body had been some time dead before I was at liberty to quit it, lest it should by any accident return to life: this is an injunction imposed on all souls by the eternal law of fate, to prevent the inconveniences which would follow. As soon as the destined period was expired (being no longer than till the body is become perfectly cold and stiff) I began to move; but found myself under a difficulty of making my escape, for the mouth or door was shut, so that it was impossible for me to go out at it; and the windows, vulgarly called the eyes, were so closely pulled down by the fingers of a nurse, that I could by no means open them. At last I perceived a beam of light glimmering at the top of the house (for such I may call the body I had been inclosed in), whither ascending, I gently let myself down through a kind of chimney, and issued out at the nostrils.
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About this edition
This free edition of A Journey from This World to the Next by Henry Fielding comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1147, released 1997-12-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Humour, Novels, British Literature.
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