How did Eton College influence Henry Fielding’s interest in literature?

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Henry Fielding, frontispiece to Fielding's Works (1st ed., 1762), engraving by James Basire after a drawing by William Hogarth — Henry Fielding Henry Fielding, frontispiece to Fielding's *Works* (1st ed., 1762), engraving by James Basire after a drawing by William Hogarth

Eton College played a pivotal role in shaping Henry Fielding’s intellectual development. During his time at the school, he established the foundations of his lifelong love of literature and acquired a significant command of the classics.1

Additionally, his experience at Eton was socially significant, as it was there that he formed a friendship with George Lyttelton, who would later become a prominent statesman and a vital patron to the author.1