by Oliver Goldsmith (1766 AD)
The Vicar of Wakefield is at once both a sentimental novel and the ideal satire of the sentimental. Magill’s critique for his Masterplots series serves the purpose:
“Buried in the rationalism of the eighteenth century was a strain of idealism and sentimentality which is clearly expressed in the The Vicar of Wakefield. In this novel, the interplay of the ideal and the real present a simple, lovable character in his struggle to maintain his ideals. Goldsmith’s material cannot be said to be original, but his wit and gentle candor are his own. For these qualities, he has been loved by many readers.”