The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Oliver Goldsmith (Author), Arthur Friedman (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: August 5, 1999

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192839403
• ISBN-13: 978-0192839404
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,825,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Business & Investing > Economics > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new book of Job, February 8, 2001

By 

Guillermo Maynez (Mexico, Distrito Federal Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

In the Bible, Job is a wealthy and happy man who is put to test by God, in order to settle a bet with the Devil. Primrose, the vicar of Wakefield, seems to suffer the same fate: first, he loses all his money; then, a man seduces his daughter and all manners of trouble set upon he and his family. But the man will never surrender. His undestructible good humor and wit, his reliance on philosophy and religion, allow him to endure all kinds of calamities, until the happy end. This is not a moralizaing book: it is pure, intelligent fun, with a message not lectured to us, but insinuated. This novel deserves to be put out of the infamous "classic" shelf (the one that condemns masterpieces of art to become "boring" for lazy readers) and into the public. It's very much worth it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The beleaguered family man, May 21, 2003

By 

A.J. (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

Charles Primrose, the protagonist of Oliver Goldsmith's "The Vicar of Wakefield," is a living symbol of the combination of ingenuousness and bad luck; a man so naive and unfortunate yet so deadpan and earnest, he would not only be suckered into buying the worst lemon in the used car lot, but walk out of the salesman's office with a "Kick Me" sign taped to his back. What keeps him going is an infectious cheerfulness, an almost quixotic faith in human virtue, and a devotion to the integrity of his family, even though they are often the cause of his troubles.

Primrose, an Anglican minister and the father of six children, begins accumulating misfortunes from the very beginning of the novel. Right before his eldest son George's wedding, he learns that the merchant with whom he has deposited his sizable inheritance has skipped town with all his money. Now impecunious, he is compelled to move his family to a village where he becomes a tenant farmer under an arrogant and devious young landlord named Thornhill. On the way, they meet an itinerant man of questionable background named Burchell who takes a liking to his daughter Sophia.

Life at the farm is fraught with woe, particularly with regard to money. Both Primrose and his son Moses get cheated out of horses they are selling; his daughters lose the opportunity to secure good positions in London because of false rumors being spread about his family; after Olivia runs off with Thornhill, he pursues her and returns to find his house in flames. When Primrose fails to pay the rent and insults Thornhill, who has spurned Olivia in favor of the very girl of whom George was deprived, he is thrown in jail.

But wait, it gets worse. Sophia is kidnapped by a ruffian; Olivia pines away in misery and dies; George, who has left home to make his own way in the world, ends up in Primrose's jail in a return considerably less dignified than that of the Prodigal Son. Primrose, however, remains confident in the glory of Providence and decides to deliver sermons to reform the other prisoners who, unsurprisingly, initially resist his efforts. That they eventually start taking him seriously only implies that they may be even more gullible than he is.

This is a picaresque novel, somewhat in the spirit of "Don Quixote" or "Tom Jones," featuring an intentionally flawed hero who undergoes improbable adventures; and if it appears that I've given away too much of the plot, keep in mind this is a genre in which nothing is quite as it seems. In fact, the denouement is so utterly silly and even stupid that I can't help but respect it for its brazen absurdity; it's really the only ending befitting a dupe as likeable as Primrose.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Ideal Vicar, November 3, 2010

By 

Love To Read (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

What a wonderful discovery this book was! Once again I initially judged the book choice on its cover and my interest in the period in which it was written. And it was a great choice. The Vicar's upbeat character was consistent throughout the book. Even in the worst of times, being at his worst, he brought himself back to his basically good, decent nature. This book is perfect for lovers of classics, who have not yet discovered Oliver Goldsmith and especially those who enjoy and laugh at the character of the vicar in other great classics!