Ready Reference Treatise: The Vicar of Wakefield

“The Vicar of Wakefield” was first published in 1766. It is subtitled “A Tale.” It is believed that the novel was written between 1761 and 1762.

Among the Victorian novels, “The Vicar of Wakefield” is considered to be one of the most popular and widely read novels in the eighteenth century.

The novelist was said to be going through a period of personal duress while writing the novel. He was under immense amount of emotional strain because of his financial condition.

By that time, he had already got some prominence as a writer, a writer for hire. He used to write for newspapers, journals, and magazines, but he was not able to support himself with his meager income.

During that period Laurence Sterne had got great success after the publication of his novel “The Life of Tristam Shandy.” Goldsmith got jealous of his success, and consequently decided to write a novel, which eventually turned out to be “The Vicar of Wakefield.”

Ready Reference Treatise: The Vicar of Wakefield
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis