15 h 53 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A family loses its footing, a guest mistakes his host for a servant, and a poet mourns an empty village.
Dalziels' Illustrated Goldsmith brings together Oliver Goldsmith's novel The Vicar of Wakefield, the comedy She Stoops to Conquer, and poems including The Deserted Village and The Traveller. In the novel, Dr Charles Primrose tries to keep his household steady through money troubles. His family's friendship with the charming Mr Thornhill brings hope, but also puts their trust to the test.
In She Stoops to Conquer, Charles Marlow mistakes a private house for an inn, while Kate Hardcastle pretends to be someone else to win her shy suitor. The Deserted Village turns toward Auburn, once happy and now abandoned. Across comedy, poetry and essays, Goldsmith looks at human folly with affection and asks what kindness is worth in a world impressed by rank.
What you’ll discover
- A household under pressure Meet a loving family whose troubles test the vicar's patience, trust and sense of duty.
- One wonderfully mistaken guest Watch Marlow treat a hospitable gentleman like a servant, turning a welcome into comic confusion.
- A clever courtship Follow Kate Hardcastle as she uses disguise to reach a suitor held back by shyness.
- A countryside remembered Enter the abandoned village of Auburn through plain, musical verse filled with longing.
- Fresh eyes on manners See English habits through a visitor from China, with Goldsmith's gentle teasing as your guide.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy eighteenth century comedy, gentle satire and plain, musical verse, and for anyone who wants to explore one writer’s range through a novel, a play, poems and essays.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A country vicar with a loving household
- Misfortunes arrive with a charming neighbour
- A fall in fortune tests his patience
- A mistaken inn and a pretended barmaid
- A village emptied and a world observed
- Kindness, folly and a gentle voice
Who’s who
- Dr Charles PrimroseThe kind, learned and slightly vain clergyman at the centre of The Vicar of Wakefield, who trusts people and tries to keep his family steady.
- Olivia and Sophia PrimroseThe vicar's two daughters, one dazzled by the attentions of the squire and the other quieter and more careful.
- Mr ThornhillThe young squire and landlord of the district, handsome and charming, whose friendship with the family brings both hope and trouble.
- Kate HardcastleThe clever daughter of the house in She Stoops to Conquer, who wants to win a shy suitor by pretending to be someone else.
- Charles MarlowA young gentleman who is tongue-tied with ladies of his own rank and bold with others, and who mistakes a private house for an inn.
- Tony LumpkinThe idle, mischievous son of Mrs Hardcastle, who sends the travellers to the wrong door for his own amusement.
- Mr HardcastleAn old-fashioned, hospitable country gentleman who tries to be a patient host to a guest who treats him like a servant.
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- Audiobook
- 15 h 53 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Dalziels illustrierter Goldsmith
A clergyman, a mistaken inn and a lost village reveal how Goldsmith turns folly into comedy and compassion.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A country vicar with a loving household
The Vicar of Wakefield opens with its narrator, Dr Charles Primrose, a clergyman who describes himself and his family with open pride. He has a wife, Deborah, who is proud of her housekeeping, and six children. The ones who matter most to the story are his daughters Olivia and Sophia and his sons George and Moses. Primrose is learned, kind and a little vain about his opinions, and he cheerfully admits he writes on church matters with great energy.
The family is comfortable at the start. They live in a pleasant parish, and the vicar's eldest son is engaged to a neighbour's daughter. Goldsmith spends time on small domestic scenes, such as the family's evenings, their games and their small quarrels. These scenes set up the world that is about to be shaken, and they make the reader fond of people who are not perfect.
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What is The Vicar of Wakefield about?
It follows Dr Primrose, a kind and trusting country clergyman, and his large family. They lose their money and move to a new parish, where one misfortune after another tests his faith and his patience.
What does She Stoops to Conquer mean?
The title describes Kate Hardcastle, who pretends to be a lower-ranking barmaid so that a shy young man will speak openly to her. She lowers herself in order to win him.
What is The Deserted Village about?
It is a poem about Auburn, a village whose people have been driven away. Goldsmith blames wealthy landowners and a love of luxury, and he mourns the simple life that was lost.
The author
Oliver Goldsmith
1728–1774 · Anglo-Irish novelist and poet
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer of the eighteenth century whose range spanned the novel (The Vicar of Wakefield), poetry, and the stage. She Stoops to Conquer remains one of the most enduring comedies in English.
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