Goldsmith: Selected Essays

Oliver Goldsmith, described in a eulogy written by Dr. Johnson as 'a poet, naturalist, and historian, who left scarcely any style of writing untouched', became one of the great figures of the eighteenth-century literary scene. A character as absurd as he was talented, Goldsmith was best known for his novels, poems and plays, such as The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) and She Stoops to Conquer (1771). Yet Goldsmith also composed a number of excellent essays. As this volume's editor J. H. Lobban argues, 'there is not a single feature of [The Vicar of Wakefield's] style that you will not find … in his essays'. This volume, originally published in 1910, brings together thirty-two of the Anglo-Irish writer's critical essays, with an aim to illustrate the variety and vibrancy of his prose. These essays are not only characterised by their beauty and lucidity, but by the creative genius of their composer.