Oliver Goldsmith Brief Bio and Works
British Author of The Vicar of Wakefield and She Stoops to Conquer
Jul 26, 2009
Oliver Goldsmith is the author of the play She Stoops to Conquer, one of the best comedies ever written. His only novel, The Vicar of Wakefield, became one of the most popular fiction works of the time and is now a classic of English literature.
Early Life of Oliver Goldsmith
Goldsmith was born on November 10, 1730, in Ballymahon, Ireland. His father was a clergyman, and at first Goldsmith also wanted to join the Church. He graduated from Trinity College in Dublin in 1750 and tried to join the Church but was rejected.
Goldsmith then studied medicine for a few years in Edinburgh, but did not complete his degree. In his mid-20s, he abandoned his studies to travel around Europe for a year. He soon ran out of money, so he paid his way by playing his lute and generally living off his wits.
In 1756, Goldsmith arrived in London, with no money. He tried to make a living as a doctor before becoming a journalist but was unsuccessful. He reviewed books and wrote essays for various periodicals.
Literary Classics Works
In the late 1760s he met the famous writer Dr. Samuel Johnson, who became his friend and an admirer of his work. The first literary piece by Goldsmith to attract attention was his poem The Traveller, which came out when he was 34.
The Vicar of Wakefield was published two years later. A lively tale of the ordinary life of the vicar's family, it was published two years later. Although the book was praised for its morality tone, it was criticized for its supposed lack of insight.
Goldsmith's masterpiece, She Stoops to Conquer, was not produced until he was 34-years-old. The story's hero travels to visit the family of his future wife. When he arrives at her family's country mansion, he mistakes it for an inn. He treats his future wife's father as the innkeeper and the daughter as a servant.
Goldsmith died of a premature death at the age of 43, on April 4, 1774.
Quote from Goldsmith's Earliest Works
The following memorable Oliver Goldsmith quote was published in The Traveller. Goldsmith wrote, "But me, not destined such delights to share / My prime of life in wandering spent and care / Impelled, with steps unceasing, to pursue / Some fleeting good, that mocks me with the view / My fortune leads to traverse realms alone / And find no spot of all the world my own."
Works by Oliver Goldsmith
- The Citizen of the World, 1762
- The Traveller, 1764, poem
- The Vicar of Wakefield, 1766
- The Good Natur'd Man, 1768
- The Deserted Village, 1770
- She Stoops to Conquer, 1773
- Retaliation (Unfinished), 1774
Sources:
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Ousby, Ian. The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997
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