Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774)
Author of The Vicar of Wakefield
About the Author
As Samuel Johnson said in his famous epitaph on his Irish-born and educated friend, Goldsmith ornamented whatever he touched with his pen. A professional writer who died in his prime, Goldsmith wrote the best comedy of his day, She Stoops to Conquer (1773). Amongst a plethora of other fine works, show more he also wrote The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), which, despite major plot inconsistencies and the intrusion of poems, essays, tales, and lectures apparently foreign to its central concerns, remains one of the most engaging fictional works in English. One reason for its appeal is the character of the narrator, Dr. Primrose, who is at once a slightly absurd pedant, an impatient traditional father of teenagers, a Job-like figure heroically facing life's blows, and an alertly curious, helpful, loving person. Another reason is Goldsmith's own mixture of delight and amused condescension (analogous to, though not identical with, Laurence Sterne's in Tristram Shandy and Johnson's in Rasselas, both contemporaneous) as he looks at the vicar and his domestic group, fit representatives of a ludicrous but workable world. Never married and always facing financial problems, he died in London and was buried in Temple Churchyard. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photo © ÖNB/Wien
Works by Oliver Goldsmith
Four Great Comedies of the Restoration and 18th Century: The Country Wife/School for Scandal/She Stoops to Conquer/Way… (1958) — Contributor — 111 copies
She Stoops to Conquer (New Mermaids) 18 copies
The English Comedie Humaine Sir Roger De Coverley, the Vicar of Wakefield, the Man of Feeling (1902) — Contributor — 11 copies
Beau Nash 9 copies
Goldsmith's 'The Deserted Village: The Traveller' / Gray's 'Elegy in a Country Churchyard' (2010) 9 copies
Poems, Plays and Essays of Oliver Goldsmith. With a Critical Dissertation on His Poetry by John Aiken and an… (1880) 9 copies
Pinnock's improved edition of Dr. Goldsmith's History of England: From the invasion of Julius Caesar to the… (1850) 8 copies
Goldsmith's The Deserted Village and Other Poems (Macmillan's Pocket American and English Classics) (1907) 8 copies
An abridgment of the history of England, from the invasion of Julius Cæsar to the death of George II (2011) 6 copies
The bee and other essays 6 copies
Retaliation, a poem 5 copies
Goldsmith's Roman history. Abridged by himself. For hte use of Schools. Fourth American edition. 3 copies
Goldsmith's Choice Works 3 copies
Selected works 3 copies
Poems, Plays, and Essays by Oliver Goldsmith with Introductory Essay by Henry T. Tuckerman. Memoir by John Aiken (1884) 3 copies
Merrill's English Texts: An Elegy in a Country Churchyard (by Gray) and The Deserted Village (by Goldsmith) (2010) — Author — 3 copies
The Complete Works of Oliver Goldsmith: Comprising His Essays, Plays, Poetical Works, and Vicar of Wakefield; With Some… (2013) 2 copies
A prospect of society 2 copies
The Roman history: from the foundation of the city of Rome, to the destruction of the western Empire. By Dr. Goldsmith.… (2014) 2 copies
Goldsmith's Comedies — Author — 2 copies
The History of England: Vol III 2 copies
The traveller, 1765; and The deserted village, 1770, with 'A prospect of society', 1764 (1970) 2 copies
Select Poems of Oliver Goldsmith 2 copies
She Stoops to Conquer; The Devil and Daniel Webster; The Importance of Being Earnest; The Adventures of Robin Hood (The (1986) 2 copies
Pinnock's Goldsmith's Greece 2 copies
Goldsmith : selected poems 2 copies
Selections from Oliver Goldsmith 2 copies
Collected works 1 copy
Viocre Wakefield 1 copy
YANLIŞLIKLAR GECESİ 1 copy
Goldsmith's history of the earth and animated nature, abridged : containing the natural history of animals, birds,… (2012) 1 copy
Goldsmith's The Deserted Village, The Traveler, Gray's Elegy In A Country Churchyard (1916) (2010) 1 copy
Wakefield Papazı 1 copy
Complete Poetical Works 1 copy
The History of Greece, From the Earliest State, to the Death of Alexander the Great, Vol. 2 of 2: To Which Is Added, a… (2016) 1 copy
The Vicar of Wakefield with a Prefatory memoir by George Saintsbury and one hundred and fourteen coloured… (1886) 1 copy
Viocáire Wakefield 1 copy
Dalziels' Illustrated Goldsmith: Comprising The Vicar of Wakefield, The Traveller etc. etc. and a Sketch of the… (1865) 1 copy
Poems by Thomas Gray and William Collins. The deserted village [by] Oliver Goldsmith [Sound recording]. Read by Robert… — Author — 1 copy
The poems and plays of Oliver Goldsmith. With the addition of The Vicar of Wakefield, memoir, etc 1 copy
Pleban z Wakefieldu 1 copy
Poems and Essays 1 copy
Asem, an Eastern Tale 1 copy
The Disabled Soldier 1 copy
Unacknowledged essays 1 copy
Our National Prejudices 1 copy
British Novelists: Vol. I 1 copy
Edwin and Angelina; a ballad 1 copy
The grumbler, an adaptation 1 copy
El Vicari de Wakefield I 1 copy
El Vicari de Wakefield II 1 copy
Goldsmith Selected Essays 1 copy
The Citizen of the World, or Letters From a Chinese Philosopher, Residing in London, to His Friends in the East, Vol. 1… (2015) 1 copy
Goldsmith's History of the Earth and Animated Nature, Abridged: Containing the Natural History of Animals, Birds,… (2012) 1 copy
E lei per conquistar si sottomette : con note storiche e critiche su Goldsmith e la sua opera 1 copy
[the Vicar of Wakefield, and Other Works ... With Introduction Notes and a Life of Oliver Goldsmith, by John Francis… (2010) 1 copy
Goldsmith's Poetical Works 1 copy
The Good Natur'd Man. She Stoops to Conquer. An Essay on the Theatre. Regster of Scotch Marriages 1 copy
Good Two Shoes 1 copy
Compendio della storia greca dalla sua origine fino alla riduzione della Grecia in Provincia romana. (1817) 1 copy
Histoire d'Angleterre, par Olivier Goldsmith, continuée jusqu'en 1815 par Ch. Coste et jusqu'à nos jours par le… (1837) 1 copy
The Bee 1 copy
Poems and Plays 1 copy
The poetical works of oliver goldsmith with thirty illustrations by John Absolom, Bruce Foster, James Godwin and… (1851) 1 copy
Associated Works
Four English Comedies: Valpone; The Way of the World; She Stoops to Conquer; The School for Scandal (1606) — Contributor — 354 copies
Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy [Norton Critical Edition] (1973) — Contributor — 260 copies
Modern English Drama: Dryden; Sheridan; Goldsmith; Shelley; Browning; Byron (1909) — Contributor — 223 copies
Cavalcade of comedy; 21 brilliant comedies from Jonson and Wycherley to Thurber and Coward (1953) — Contributor — 94 copies
Three English Comedies: She Stoops to Conquer; The Rivals; The School for Scandal (1955) — Contributor — 52 copies
English Verse: Volume 3: The Eighteenth Century: Swift to Crabbe (Penguin Classics) (1995) — Contributor — 11 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
Selected Stories of Great Authors — Contributor — 3 copies
Gray: Poetry & Prose, With Essays by Johnson, Goldsmith and others — Contributor — 2 copies
Anthology of Romanticism Volume Two: Selections From The Pre-Romantic Movement — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Willington, James (pseudonym)
- Birthdate
- 1730-11-10
- Date of death
- 1774-04-04
- Burial location
- Temple Church, London, England
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Ireland (birth)
UK - Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- Pallas, near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland
Smith-Hill House, Elphin, Roscommon, Ireland - Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Smith-Hill House, Elphin, Roscommon, Ireland (possible birth location)
Pallas, near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland (possible birth location)
Lissoy, Ireland
London, England, UK (death) - Education
- Trinity College, Dublin
University of Edinburgh
University of Leiden
University of Padua - Occupations
- essayist
novelist
translator
poet
playwright
physician (show all 8)
apothecary's assistant
literary drudge, Monthly Review - Relationships
- Johnson, Samuel (friend)
Goldsmith, Charles (father) - Organizations
- The Literary Club
- Short biography
- Goldsmith's birth year is under dispute. 1728 or 1730. Some biographers report his birthplace in Elphin, Roscommon.
Members
Discussions
Folio Archives 343: The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith 1971 in Folio Society Devotees (October 6)
Folio Archives 318: The Citizen of the World by Oliver Goldsmith 1969 in Folio Society Devotees (May 2)
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 267
- Also by
- 39
- Members
- 6,654
- Popularity
- #3,680
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 95
- ISBNs
- 470
- Languages
- 10
- Favorited
- 3
- Touchstones
- 203
2020 reread - just what I needed today!
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2016 reread:
I still think that this play needs to be seen to fully appreciate it but I liked this audiobook recording of a live performance. It was easier to listen to this time (I have had more practice!) and thus I found it even funnier than when I heard it a few years ago.
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May 2014 review
4.5 stars. This full cast audiobook was a fun way to revisit one of my favorite Restoration comedies. However, I did find that some of the humor was a bit harder to visualize listening rather than reading.… (more)