Difference between revisions of "Oliver Goldsmith" - New World Encyclopedia

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Goldsmith was born in the townland of Pallas, near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland, where his father, the Rev. Charles Godlsmith, was curate of the parish of Forgney. When Goldsmith was aged two, his father was appointed rector of the parish of Kilkenny West in County Westmeath. The family moved to nearby parsonage at Lissoy, and continued to live there until his father's death in 1747. From Goldsmith's own memoirs, it is apparent that his childhood under his minister-father was an unhappy one, and the young boy spent most of his time alone, keeping to himself and reading.
 
Goldsmith was born in the townland of Pallas, near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland, where his father, the Rev. Charles Godlsmith, was curate of the parish of Forgney. When Goldsmith was aged two, his father was appointed rector of the parish of Kilkenny West in County Westmeath. The family moved to nearby parsonage at Lissoy, and continued to live there until his father's death in 1747. From Goldsmith's own memoirs, it is apparent that his childhood under his minister-father was an unhappy one, and the young boy spent most of his time alone, keeping to himself and reading.
  
Goldsmith earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1749 at Trinity College, Dublin, studying theology and law but never getting as far as ordination. Goldsmith recalled his years at Trinity College as being some of the gloomiest of his life. After three aimless years in Ireland, Goldsmith crossed the channel to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After concluding his brief studies at Edinburgh, and despite having almost no money, Goldsmith somehow undertook a long tour of the European continent. On his return four years later, in 1756, he settled in London, where he worked numerous oddjobs.  Perennially in debt and addicted to gambling, Goldsmith found his financial niche when he took up a job as a hack writer—producing huge quantities of (generally poor) translations and other articles. He was able to produce a massive output of hack writing for the publishers of London, and he began to attract fame with some of the more  painstaking works he produced during this period. His career among the intellectual elite is generally regarded to begin with the 1759 publication of ''Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe'', which earned him the admiration of [[Samuel Johnson]], along with whom he was a founding member of "The Club". Among members of the club, Goldsmith was notorious for his ugliness, his Irish brogue, and his complete ineptitude in spoken conversation. Dr. Johnson famously quipped that "No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had," and Goldsmith would become one of Johnson's constant companions, featuring prominently in Boswell's ''Life of Johnson'' as a major character in his own right. The combination of Goldsmith's literary genius with his ineptitude in spoken conversation led [[Horace Walpole]] to give him the much quoted epithet of "The Inspired Idiot".  
+
Goldsmith earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1749 at Trinity College, Dublin, studying theology and law but never getting as far as ordination. Goldsmith recalled his years at Trinity College as being some of the gloomiest of his life. After three aimless years in Ireland, Goldsmith crossed the channel to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After concluding his brief studies at Edinburgh, and despite having almost no money, Goldsmith somehow undertook a long tour of the European continent. On his return four years later, in 1756, he settled in London, where he worked numerous oddjobs.  Perennially in debt and addicted to gambling, Goldsmith found his financial niche when he took up a job as a hack writer—producing huge quantities of (generally poor) translations and other articles. He was able to produce a massive output of hack writing for the publishers of London, and he began to attract fame with some of the more  painstaking works he produced during this period. His career among the intellectual elite is generally regarded to begin with the 1759 publication of ''Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe'', which earned him the admiration of [[Samuel Johnson]], along with whom he was a founding member of "The Club". Among members of the club, Goldsmith was notorious for his ugliness, his Irish brogue, and his complete ineptitude in spoken conversation. Dr. Johnson famously quipped that "No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had," and Goldsmith would become one of Johnson's constant companions, featuring prominently in Boswell's ''Life of Johnson'' as a major character in his own right. The combination of Goldsmith's literary genius with his ineptitude in spoken conversation led [[Horace Walpole]] to give him the much quoted epithet of "The Inspired Idiot".
  
He was buried in [[Temple Church]]; his death in 1774 may have been partly caused by his own misdiagnosis of his condition. There is a monument to him in [[Westminster Abbey]] with an [[epitaph]] written by Samuel Johnson.  
+
Although Goldsmith has become something of a legend because of his epic incompetence (this was a man who once failed to emigrate to America because he missed the ferry), he is just as legendary for his prodigious output and his masterful prose. After the publication of a few minor works, Goldsmith truly rose to fame after publishing a series of ''Chinese Letters'', essays written from the perspective of a Chinese philosopher visiting England. The ''Chinese Letters'' were collected and published in a single volume in 1762 entitled ''The Citizen of the World'', and they remain one of the most entertaining and insightful works of non-fiction written in the 18th-century. Always struggling to make ends meet despite his success, Goldsmith also undertook during this time an enormous quantity of hack work, producing a number of histories, travelogues and biographies—one of which, the ''Life of Richard Nash, of Bath, Esq.'' is considered to be one of the best-written biographies of the period. He also produced, in 1764, one of his most famous poems, ''The Traveller'', written from the perspective of an idealistic Englishman traversing the European countryside.
 +
 
 +
In 1766, Goldsmith wrote what is almost certainly his most remembered work, his only novel, ''The Vicar of Wakefield''. An unusual novel which begins as a light romance and then descends into near-Greek tragedy and written in the form of a fictitious memoir, ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' was immensely popular in its time, and it is still read widely today by students and scholars as an example of the sentimental style of novels popular in 18th-century England.
 +
 
 +
In 1768 Goldsmith, who had already had success as a poet, historian, biographer, essayist and fiction-writer, turned to yet another genre: playwriting. His first play, ''The Good Natur'd Man'', debuted in London to modest success. It was not until 1773, however, with the production of his comedy ''She Stoops To Conquer'' that Goldsmith would truly cement his reputation as a capable playwright. ''She Stoops To Conquer'' one of the most popular comedies of the 18th-century which continues to be produced today. Around this time Goldsmith also published ''The Deserted Village'', his most enduringly popular work of poetry. ''The Deserted Village'', remarakable for its melancholy and emotional depth at a time when most English poetry tended towards irony, has become one of the enduring classics of 18th-century literature. Although too lengthy to quote in full, an excerpt from the poem's memorable beginning—in which Goldsmith paints a sad portrait of a once-lively country village that has been all but worn away and abandoned—can provide us with a glimpse of Goldsmith's considerable talent for rhyme and imagery:
 +
 
 +
:Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain,
 +
:Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain,
 +
:Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
 +
:And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed:
 +
:Dear lovely bowers of innocence and ease,
 +
:Seats of my youth, when every sport could please,
 +
:How often have I loitered o'er thy green,
 +
:Where humble happiness endeared each scene;
 +
:How often have I paused on every charm,
 +
:The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm,
 +
:The never-failing brook, the busy mill,
 +
:The decent church that topped the neighbouring hill,
 +
:The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade,
 +
:For talking age and whispering lovers made.
 +
:How often have I blessed the coming day,
 +
:When toil remitting lent its turn to play,
 +
:And all the village train, from labour free,
 +
:Led up their sports beneath the spreading tree,
 +
:While many a pastime circled in the shade,
 +
:The young contending as the old surveyed;
 +
:And many a gambol frolicked o'er the ground,
 +
:And sleights of art and feats of strength went round.
 +
:And still as each repeated pleasure tired,
 +
:Succeeding sports the mirthful band inspired;
 +
:The dancing pair that sweetly sought renown,
 +
:By holding out to tire each other down;
 +
:The swain mistrustless of his smutted face,
 +
:While secret laughter tittered round the place;
 +
:The bashful virgin's sidelong looks of love,
 +
:The matron's glance that would these looks reprove.
 +
:These were thy charms, sweet village; sports like these,
 +
:With sweet succession, taught even toil to please;
 +
:These round thy bowers their cheerful influence shed,
 +
:These were thy charms—but all these charms are fled.
 +
   
 +
Goldsmith, always in debt, began to work even harder in the early 1770's. The work, however, took its toll on his health, and in 1774 he died after a brief illness. A monument to him was erected in Westminster Abbey with an epitaph written by Samuel Johnson.
  
 
== Notable works ==
 
== Notable works ==

Revision as of 19:17, 21 September 2006

Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730(?) – April 4, 1774) was an Anglo-Irish author and one of the most versatile English writers of the 18th-century. Goldsmith wrote poetry, plays, essays, fiction, journalism, histories, biographies, and more. Although a good portion of Goldsmith's vast oeuvre is considered uneven by today's standards, a sizeable handful of his works in various genres are considered 18th-century classics, including his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, his pastoral poem The Deserted Village, his collection of semi-fictional essays Citizen of the World, and his popular comic play, She Stoops To Conquer. Goldsmith was a contemporary and confidant of Dr. Johnson and the two writers often exchanged ideas, leading to perhaps one of the most fruitful intellectual partnerships in 18th-century English letters. Goldsmith became a member of "The Club", one of the most influential circles of literary and intellectual figures in the 18th-century, associating with Sir Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke, and James Boswell. Although he is not as popular as he once was, Goldsmith remains one of the major writers of 18th-century England; he is still acclaimed by many critics for his effortlessly masterful prose-style that makes even his slightest works eminently readable. Greatly respected by the writers of his own time, Goldsmith is one of the luminaries of his period.

Life

Goldsmith was born in the townland of Pallas, near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland, where his father, the Rev. Charles Godlsmith, was curate of the parish of Forgney. When Goldsmith was aged two, his father was appointed rector of the parish of Kilkenny West in County Westmeath. The family moved to nearby parsonage at Lissoy, and continued to live there until his father's death in 1747. From Goldsmith's own memoirs, it is apparent that his childhood under his minister-father was an unhappy one, and the young boy spent most of his time alone, keeping to himself and reading.

Goldsmith earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1749 at Trinity College, Dublin, studying theology and law but never getting as far as ordination. Goldsmith recalled his years at Trinity College as being some of the gloomiest of his life. After three aimless years in Ireland, Goldsmith crossed the channel to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After concluding his brief studies at Edinburgh, and despite having almost no money, Goldsmith somehow undertook a long tour of the European continent. On his return four years later, in 1756, he settled in London, where he worked numerous oddjobs. Perennially in debt and addicted to gambling, Goldsmith found his financial niche when he took up a job as a hack writer—producing huge quantities of (generally poor) translations and other articles. He was able to produce a massive output of hack writing for the publishers of London, and he began to attract fame with some of the more painstaking works he produced during this period. His career among the intellectual elite is generally regarded to begin with the 1759 publication of Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe, which earned him the admiration of Samuel Johnson, along with whom he was a founding member of "The Club". Among members of the club, Goldsmith was notorious for his ugliness, his Irish brogue, and his complete ineptitude in spoken conversation. Dr. Johnson famously quipped that "No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had," and Goldsmith would become one of Johnson's constant companions, featuring prominently in Boswell's Life of Johnson as a major character in his own right. The combination of Goldsmith's literary genius with his ineptitude in spoken conversation led Horace Walpole to give him the much quoted epithet of "The Inspired Idiot".

Although Goldsmith has become something of a legend because of his epic incompetence (this was a man who once failed to emigrate to America because he missed the ferry), he is just as legendary for his prodigious output and his masterful prose. After the publication of a few minor works, Goldsmith truly rose to fame after publishing a series of Chinese Letters, essays written from the perspective of a Chinese philosopher visiting England. The Chinese Letters were collected and published in a single volume in 1762 entitled The Citizen of the World, and they remain one of the most entertaining and insightful works of non-fiction written in the 18th-century. Always struggling to make ends meet despite his success, Goldsmith also undertook during this time an enormous quantity of hack work, producing a number of histories, travelogues and biographies—one of which, the Life of Richard Nash, of Bath, Esq. is considered to be one of the best-written biographies of the period. He also produced, in 1764, one of his most famous poems, The Traveller, written from the perspective of an idealistic Englishman traversing the European countryside.

In 1766, Goldsmith wrote what is almost certainly his most remembered work, his only novel, The Vicar of Wakefield. An unusual novel which begins as a light romance and then descends into near-Greek tragedy and written in the form of a fictitious memoir, The Vicar of Wakefield was immensely popular in its time, and it is still read widely today by students and scholars as an example of the sentimental style of novels popular in 18th-century England.

In 1768 Goldsmith, who had already had success as a poet, historian, biographer, essayist and fiction-writer, turned to yet another genre: playwriting. His first play, The Good Natur'd Man, debuted in London to modest success. It was not until 1773, however, with the production of his comedy She Stoops To Conquer that Goldsmith would truly cement his reputation as a capable playwright. She Stoops To Conquer one of the most popular comedies of the 18th-century which continues to be produced today. Around this time Goldsmith also published The Deserted Village, his most enduringly popular work of poetry. The Deserted Village, remarakable for its melancholy and emotional depth at a time when most English poetry tended towards irony, has become one of the enduring classics of 18th-century literature. Although too lengthy to quote in full, an excerpt from the poem's memorable beginning—in which Goldsmith paints a sad portrait of a once-lively country village that has been all but worn away and abandoned—can provide us with a glimpse of Goldsmith's considerable talent for rhyme and imagery:

Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain,
Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain,
Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid,
And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed:
Dear lovely bowers of innocence and ease,
Seats of my youth, when every sport could please,
How often have I loitered o'er thy green,
Where humble happiness endeared each scene;
How often have I paused on every charm,
The sheltered cot, the cultivated farm,
The never-failing brook, the busy mill,
The decent church that topped the neighbouring hill,
The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade,
For talking age and whispering lovers made.
How often have I blessed the coming day,
When toil remitting lent its turn to play,
And all the village train, from labour free,
Led up their sports beneath the spreading tree,
While many a pastime circled in the shade,
The young contending as the old surveyed;
And many a gambol frolicked o'er the ground,
And sleights of art and feats of strength went round.
And still as each repeated pleasure tired,
Succeeding sports the mirthful band inspired;
The dancing pair that sweetly sought renown,
By holding out to tire each other down;
The swain mistrustless of his smutted face,
While secret laughter tittered round the place;
The bashful virgin's sidelong looks of love,
The matron's glance that would these looks reprove.
These were thy charms, sweet village; sports like these,
With sweet succession, taught even toil to please;
These round thy bowers their cheerful influence shed,
These were thy charms—but all these charms are fled.

Goldsmith, always in debt, began to work even harder in the early 1770's. The work, however, took its toll on his health, and in 1774 he died after a brief illness. A monument to him was erected in Westminster Abbey with an epitaph written by Samuel Johnson.

Notable works

  • The Citizen of the World (1762)
  • The Traveller (1764)
  • The Vicar of Wakefield (1766)

References
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External links

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