Oliver Goldsmith attained many professions such as a poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist and eccentric. His way with words was so gracefully fluent that it deserted him in society. His language was too advanced and his thoughts were so wise. Goldsmith wrote with confidence, which resulted in him being an excellent writer. His exceptional work is vividly shown in his two poems, The Vicar of Wakefield and The Deserted Village. These poems illustrate the theme of domestic tragedy and joy. Goldsmith was “born on 29 November 1731” according to the Library of Congress authority file (1465). Goldsmith had actually forgotten which year he was born in. He was confused between 1730 and 1731. He used to live in London and was enjoying life “He worked as a writer and was friends with the artistic and literary luminaries of the time” (1465). Goldsmith made good connections in London which helped him later shape his career. They say perfection comes with practice, “Goldsmith became a prolific writer during the last fifteen years of his life” (1466). His hard work throughout his life paid off. He has reached new heights of flawlessness. People think that only individuals who have a serious attitude towards their life and work can achieve what Goldsmith has. Goldsmith had a bold personality, “He was certainly the master comedian of his age” (1467). This validates not only was Goldsmith great at what he does, but he also knew how to have the time of his life.
In the time of Goldsmith, there was poetry written in Classicism and Romanticism. Poets took attention of their audience in various ways, “poets viewed themselves primarily in relation to their audience (1467)”. Eighteenth century poets took advantage of in what manner and how their audience...
... middle of paper ...
... daughter’s suitors. Also, this theme of domestic tragedy was also present in The Deserted Village when the peacefulness of the village was overtaken by money and taxes. Goldsmith has presented these ideas with judgment based on setting and events using his five senses instead of using aspects of Romanticism.
Works Cited
Garbett, Ann D. The Vicar of Wakefield. Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web 2 Mar. 2014
Hall. Richard A. Spurgeon. Oliver Goldsmith, Critical Survet of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition, pp 1-4, Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost, viewed 2 March 2014.
Oliver Goldsmith. Ed. Hans Enzensberger and Gernard hipskin. California: Salem Press, Inc., 2003. 1465-1465. Print.
Theodore, Terry. “Oliver Goldsmith” Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition (2009): 1-5. Literary Reference Center. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto, and William E. Cain. An Introduction to Literature. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.
*Abrams, M.H., ed., et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol.I. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.
The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ninth Edition. Stephen Greenblatt, eds. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 2308. Print.
Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. p. 2256
Abrams, M.H., et al. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. 2 Vols. New York: Norton, 1993.
McWilliams, Jr., John P. "Fictions of Merry Mount." American Quarterly, Vol. 29, No.1 (1977), pp. 3-30. JSTOR. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000.
Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.
Goldsmith’s speaker begins nostalgically for the “loveliest village of the plain,” (1) by listing the town’s virtues which include “The never-failing brook, the busy mill, The decent church [.]” (11-12) Goldsmith uses this imagery to contrast the current state of the village, he goes on to say that “These were thy charms—But all these charms are fled.” (34) Here, the speaker urges readers to admonish the loss of the village’s charms by destroying the imagery created by the first 33 lines. He continues the description of the land as “forlorn” (76), but while the villagers were forced to abandon the area, the speaker’s nostalgia implies that he chose to leave. This nostalgia implies that the speaker’s depiction of the village could be highly romanticized. The speaker likens the loss of the village with a much greater problem, “The country blooms—a garden, and a grave.” (302) He suggests that this is not an isolated problem, but an epidemic that is happening all over the country. The village is lost to make room for a garden and a grave; the first belongs to the nobility and the later to the peasant. His portrayal of the New World supports th...
The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ninth Edition. Stephen Greenblatt, eds. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 460. Print.
Longman. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, vol. B. Damrosch, D. (ed.). NY, LA: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 2000.