Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), essayist, reviewer, dramatist, novelist, librettist and poet, became one of the most popular authors in that "age of authors", especially for "The Vicar of Wakefield". In this selection of his poetry and prose, John Lucas reconsiders Thackeray's praise of Goldsmith as "the most beloved of English writers", and reveals him as a more radical, formidable - and Irish - figure than the phrase suggests. Goldsmith's "wit, civility of tone and adroit handling of form" express, Lucas argues, the author's intelligence, integrity and concern for a society that he saw disintegrating into competing interests. The introduction, detailed notes and afterword on the contemporary context present a Goldsmith whose moral seriousness is as necessary to 21st century society as it was to his own.
- ISBN10 1857547039
- ISBN13 9781857547030
- Publish Date 24 April 2003
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd
- Imprint Fyfield Books
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 180
- Language English