Choosing the Wedding Gown by William Mulready, an illustration of Ch. 1

The Vicar of Wakefield is a novel by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith. It was written in 1761 and 1762, and published in 1766. It is briefly mentioned in A Tale of Two Cities on page 45 and in The Sorrows of Young Werther in the letter dated June 16. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... William Mulready (April 1, 1786 - June 7, 1863) was an Irish genre painter living in London. ... Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730(?) – April 4, 1774) was an Irish writer and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770) (written in memory of his brother), and his plays The Good-naturd Man (1768) and She Stoops... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is a historical novel by Charles Dickens; it is moreover a moral novel strongly concerned with themes of guilt, shame and retribution. ... Die Leiden des jungen Werther (In English: The Sorrows of Young Werther) is a loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774. ...

Content

Dr. Primrose, his wife Deborah and their six children live an idyllic life in a country parish. On the evening of his son George's wedding to Arabella Wilmot, the vicar loses all his money through the bankruptcy of a merchant. A parish is a subdivision. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar is anyone who is acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ...

The wedding is called off, George is sent away to town and the rest of the family move to a new and more humble parish on the land of Squire Thornhill. On the way, they hear about the dubious reputation of their new landlord. Also, references are made to the squire's uncle Sir William Thornhill, who is known throughout the country for his worthiness.

A poor and eccentric friend, Mr. Burchell, whom they meet at an inn, rescues Sophia from drowning. She is instantly attracted to him, but her ambitious mother does not encourage her feelings.

Then follows a period of happy family life, only interrupted by regular visits of the dashing Squire Thornhill and Mr. Burchell. Olivia is captivated by Thornhill's hollow charm, but he also encourages the social ambitions of Mrs Primrose and her daughters to a ludicrous degree.

Finally, Olivia is reported to have fled. First Burchell is suspected, but after a long pursuit Dr. Primrose finds his daughter, who was in reality deceived by Squire Thornhill. He planned to marry her in a mock ceremony and leave her then shortly after, as he had done with several women before.

When Olivia and her father return home, they find their house in flames. Although the family has lost almost all their belongings, the evil Squire Thornhill insists on the payment of the rent. As the vicar cannot pay, he is brought to gaol.

What follows now is a chain of dreadful occurrences. The vicar's daughter Olivia is reported dead, Sophia abducted and George is also brought to gaol in chains and covered with blood, as he had challenged Thornhill to a duel, when he had heard about his wickedness. A duel or duel of honour is a form of armed combat in which two individuals participate. ...

But then Mr. Burchell arrives and solves all problems. He rescues Sophia, Olivia is not dead and it emerges that Burchell in reality the worthy Sir William Thornhill, who travels through the country in disguise. In the end there is a double wedding: George marries Arabella, as he originally intended, and Sir William Thornhill marries Sophia. Finally even the wealth of the vicar is restored, as the bankrupt merchant is reported to be found.

Structure and narrative technique

The book consists of 32 chapters which fall into three parts:

• chapter 1 - 3: beginning
• chapter 4 - 29: main part
• chapter 30 - 32: denouement

Chapter 17, when Olivia is reported to be fled, can be regarded as the climax as well as an essential turning point of the novel. From chapter 17 onwards it changes from a comical account of 18th century country life into a pathetic melodrama with didactic traits. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

There are quite a few interpolations of different literary genres, such as poems, histories or sermons, which widen the restricted view of the first person narrator and serve as didactic fables.

The novel can be regarded as a fictitious memoir, as it is told by the vicar himself by retrospection. Comic situations come from the fact that the reader is often leading in knowledge, because sometimes hints are given which point to the happy ending of the novel.

Reception

In literary history books the Vicar of Wakefield is often described as a sentimental novel, which displays the belief in the innate goodness of human beings. But it can also be read as a satire on the sentimental novel and its values, as the vicar's values are apparently not compatible with the real "sinful" world. It is only with Sir William Thornhill's help that he can get out of his calamities.

Moreover, an analogy can be drawn between Mr. Primrose's suffering and the Book of Job. This is particularly relevant to the question of theodicy. The Book of Job (איוב, Standard Hebrew Iyyov, Tiberian Hebrew ʾIyyôḇ; Arabic أيّوب ʾAyyūb) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, and is also one of the books of the Christian Old Testament. ... Theodicy is a branch of theology that studies how the existence of a good or benevolent God is reconciled with the existence of evil. ...

External link

• Free eBook of The Vicar of Wakefield at Project Gutenberg