The Vicar of Wakefield

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451524691 ISBN 13: 9780451524690

Publisher: Signet Classics, 1961

Describes how the kindly Dr. Primose suffers a series of personal disasters, but overcomes them all through his Christian morality

About the Author:

Oliver Goldsmith is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Alaska.

Review:

Novel by Oliver Goldsmith, published in two volumes in 1766. The story, a portrait of village life, is narrated by Dr. Primrose, the title character, whose family endures many trials--including the loss of most of their money, the seduction of one daughter, the destruction of their home by fire, and the vicar's incarceration--before all is put right in the end. The novel's idealization of rural life, sentimental moralizing, and melodramatic incidents are countered by a sharp but good-natured irony. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature