Present Based On Books The Vicar of Wakefield
| Title | : | The Vicar of Wakefield |
| Author | : | Oliver Goldsmith |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Oxford World's Classics |
| Pages | : | Pages: 197 pages |
| Published | : | June 15th 2006 by Oxford University Press (first published 1766) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Literature. 18th Century |
Oliver Goldsmith
Paperback | Pages: 197 pages Rating: 3.48 | 8909 Users | 487 Reviews
Explanation As Books The Vicar of Wakefield
Oliver Goldsmith's hugely successful novel of 1766 remained for generations one of the most highly regarded and beloved works of eighteenth-century fiction. It depicts the fall and rise of the Primrose family, presided over by the benevolent vicar, the narrator of a fairy-tale plot of impersonation and deception, the abduction of a beautiful heroine and the machinations of an aristocratic villain. By turns comic and sentimental, the novel's popularity owes much to its recognizable depiction of domestic life and loving family relationships. New to this edition is an introduction by Robert L. Mack that examines the reasons for the novels enduring popularity, as well as the critical debates over whether it is a straightforward novel of sentiment or a satire on the social and economic inequalities of the period and the very literary conventions and morality it seems to embody. This edition also includes a new, up-to-date bibliography and expanded notes, and contains reprints of Arthur Friedman's authoritative Oxford English Novels text of the corrected first edition of 1766.Particularize Books During The Vicar of Wakefield
| Original Title: | The Vicar of Wakefield |
| ISBN: | 0192805126 (ISBN13: 9780192805126) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Revd. Dr. Charles and Deborah Primrose, Olivia and Sophia (daughters) |
Rating Based On Books The Vicar of Wakefield
Ratings: 3.48 From 8909 Users | 487 ReviewsCriticism Based On Books The Vicar of Wakefield
While this is a short book, it took a little longer than I expected to read it. I enjoyed the optimistic attitude of the narrator even in the face of every imaginable hardship. Some of the observations regarding human nature were so astute and amazing to think about how little people have changed in 250 years. There were moments of laugh out loud hilarity, some preachy-ness, and a lot of looking on the bright side. I enjoyed this short tale.Much like the Biblical story of Job but in a nineteenth century English setting, this tale of extreme misfortune suffered by an English vicarfollowed in the end by the restoration of his former lifeis a model for living through such extremes with exemplary alacrity. The vicar is described as a natural born preacher who takes every opportunity to pontificatefirst to his family and later to his fellow debtor's prison inmateson the virtues of faithful patience when dealing with the calamities of
West Yorkshire, England, 1761 and 1762. Oliver Goldsmith wrote The Vicar of Wakefield, his one and only novel. Part of the introduction of this book says that Mr. Goldsmith was asked by his landlady to leave his apartment due to unpaid rent. Mr. Goldsmith asked his friend, Mr. Boswell, to sell the manuscript of this novel for him to have money.According to Wikipedia, this novel was one of the most popular and widely read 18th century novels among 19th century Victorians. The novel is mentioned
3.5/5 stars. Personally, among the books written in this century, I think this is one of the classics that has aged better than others. Perhaps that is due in part to its virtue of being a relatively short book (under 200 pages) which certainly made it a less tedious read than Pamela or Jude the Obscure.
All's well that ends well - so the saying goes. It appears that, after all the calamities and shenanigans, all is well with the Primrose family. Such an exciting life they led - abductions, a house-fire, the homecoming of the prodigal son (twice), secrets, lies, and deception - mixed in with a healthy dose of humour, humility, and forgiveness - and (of course) some "preachy" passages. With the exception of a few chapters which dragged a bit, the Librivox recording by Martin Clifton provided
I was a bit surprised to learn that there was a debate over whether or not this 1766 Goldsmith novel is a satire. I think if it is read as anything other than a satire, its import is lost. The humor hidden just beneath the surface is the only thing I can imagine would have garnered it its popularity or held its recognition over the years. It was very popular in the 19th Century and has reportedly influenced many writers.The Vicar is a sanguine character, who grabs the silver lining from cloud
The nice thing about novels written mid-eighteenth century is that they are so different, to each other as well as to what we have come to expect from the realistic novels of the nineteenth. The sentimental story requires virtue assailed by calamity, but Goldsmith avoids the lachrymose by the sustained cheerful resilience of the Vicar, without him ever becoming annoying. Calamity succeeds disaster, and towards the end there's little left that hasn't yet occurred, but the calm light tone prevents
0 Comments