The Vicar of Wakefield
The Vicar of Wakefield (Engl. The Vicar of Wakefield. A Tale. Supposed to Be Written by Himself ) is the only novel by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith . He wrote it between 1761 and 1762. In 1766 the novel was first published in a two-volume edition.
The novel, which was extremely successful in the 18th and 19th centuries, had a lasting impact on literary tradition in Great Britain. He is quoted u. a. in Emma by Jane Austen , David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens , Middlemarch by George Eliot , Frankenstein by Mary Shelley , The Professor and Villette by Charlotte Brontë , Little Women by Louisa May Alcott , in Vie de Henri Brulard by Stendhal as well as by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in The Sorrows of Young Werther and in Poetry and Truth and by Arthur Schopenhauer in The Art of Keeping Right .
people
| character | Details |
|---|---|
| Reverend Dr. Charles Primrose | Narrator, pastor |
| Deborah Primrose | Wife of Dr. Primrose |
| George Primrose | Eldest son of the Primrose family, former Oxford student, later husband of Arabella Wilmot |
| Olivia Primrose | eldest daughter of the Primrose family, later wife of Ned Thornhill |
| Sophia | youngest daughter of the Primrose family, later wife of Sir William Thornhill |
| Moses | The second eldest son of the Primrose family, is set to become a businessman |
| Dick and Bill | the two youngest children of the Primrose family |
| Ned Thornhill | Nephew of Sir William Thornhill, womanizer and attempted polygamist , later husband of Olivia |
| Sir William Thornhill, Mr. Burchell | wealthy landowner posing as a vagabond, later husband of Sophia |
Overview of the plot
The first chapter introduces the first-person narrator, a vicar, and his family. Dr. Charles Primrose lives a peaceful life in a rural parish with his wife Deborah, son George, daughters Olivia and Sophia and three other children. He donates his salary as vicar to the poor and war veterans of the place, as he can live well on the interest of an inherited property. In the next chapter, Primrose talks conversationally about altruism and monogamy . His eldest son George, who graduated from Oxford, is courting the wealthy Arabella Wilmot. On the eve of the wedding, it turns out that Primrose has lost all of his fortune to the machinations of a fraudster, and Arabella's greedy father drops the wedding date.
George is now sent to the city and Rev. Primrose and his family move into a more modest house on the estate of Squire Sir William Thornhill. Primrose meets Mr. Burchell in a tavern and becomes friends with him on the. Burchell is a poor man and a little eccentric. Burchill enlightens the Primroses of Thornhill's reputation as a notorious philanderer. When Burchill saves Sophie from drowning, she falls in love with him, which her mother doesn't like at all. At her new place of residence, Charles Primrose devotes himself to the family, hires out as a farmer and officiates as a preacher. He also paid his respects to the Squire's uncle, known for his generosity and impeccable life. The fifth chapter begins with an outdoor picnic. You get to know William Thornhill, who is part of a passing hunting party. The women hope for a beneficial relationship.
In the next chapter, Mr. Burchell shows his interest in Sophia, and Sophia, too, Primrose finds out, seems in love with Burchell. Primrose prevails and prevents women from putting on vain makeup.
In Chapter 7, Thornhill and friends visit the Primroses. Burchell says that Thornhill is now in a relationship with Arabella Willmot. Daughter Olivia begins to take a liking to Thornhill. Society makes fun of the second eldest son, Moses.
In the eighth chapter the reader realizes that Burchell likes Sophia, the youngest daughter. Poems are read and Sophia takes refuge in Burchell's arms for protection. Thornhill's chaplain likes Sophia. An invitation to Thornhill's moonlight ball is issued. Surprisingly, Burchell rejects Sophia.
In this chapter the announced ball takes place. London ladies affirm that Primrose's daughters lack the sophisticated way of life of London society. Ned Thornhill alludes to a connection with Olivia.
In the tenth chapter, the family ignores teaching and principles. A gypsy prophesies that Olivia will marry an Esquire and Sophia a lord. Hope for a better future makes the family happy. She plans to go to church in decent clothes and with a carriage. The head of the family, Primrose, goes first to church, and the rest of the family is late for the service.
The Christmas party takes place in the following chapter. London ladies watch Primrose's daughters play an uncultivated game. But the acquaintance with the ladies even improves so much that the prospect of a life in London for the daughter comes up. Burchell behaves badly in the presence of the London ladies.
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In chapter 12, Moses is sent away to sell a horse and is betrayed in the process. It is rumored that Olivia Thornhill is getting married. Burchell warns the family about the ladies from London, which leads to a conflict with Burchell.
Chapter 13 tells a story of the dwarf and the giant who go on adventures together. Burchell is against the daughters going to London.
In the next chapter, Primrose is supposed to sell the last horse in order to earn money for the appearance of his daughters. At first nobody wants to buy the horse, after all there is a buyer. But the check burst later. For their part, the daughters cannot travel to London because of a negative report about the family.
The negative report turns out to be a letter from Burchell in Chapter 15. The family plans to confront Burchell about this the next time they visit. The next meeting begins in a friendly manner until you confront him.
Chapter 16 reports that Thornhill's visits are becoming more frequent. Hopes for a connection between Olivia and Thornhill are growing. A family portrait is made with Thornhill. Deborah tries to get Thornhill to propose to Olivia.
The turning point comes in the last chapter. Olivia agrees if Thornhill doesn't propose to her to marry Farmer William soon. But Thornhill does not react to Farmer William being played off against him. Primrose is delighted that he can grow old happily. Olivia arouses anger by running away with an unknown lover. Primrose sets out to find her.
shape
The first-person narrator and protagonist Dr. In retrospect, Charles Primrose describes how his family rose and fell. Since the retrospective narrator has more knowledge about what happened than the character himself at the moment of experience, he can always give the reader hints about the further course of the plot. The narrator's perspective is on Dr. Primrose limits so that the reader only learns what Primrose thinks or suspects.
The first-person narrative situation is broken up several times by non-narrative elements, e.g. E.g .: ballad ; Conversation about the changing world (p. 62), allegory about guilt and shame (p. 68f.), Lamentation (p. 76f.), Allegory about walking through the dark valley of misery (p. 82f.), Primroses Monologue on freedom, politics, wealth, trade and monarchy (pp. 85-88), conversation with members of the theater group about contemporary tastes (pp. 83f.), Sermon in prison about punishment , (pp. 133f.), Matilda's tragedy (Pp. 115–117), Story of the Giant and the Dwarf (pp. 57f.).
There are also several short internal narratives that are told in indirect speech from the perspective of other characters. Accordingly, George describes his whereabouts and Sophia and Olivia of their abductions.
Film adaptations
From the early days of cinema there are a number of silent films of varying lengths. The last film adaptation of the novel in the series was made by Ernste C. Warde and is a full 90 min film. Length.
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by Theodore Marston, 1910
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by Frank Powell, 1912
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by Frank Wilson, 1913
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by John Douglas, 1913
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by Fred Paul, 1916
- The Vicar of Wakefield , directed by Ernest C. Warde, 1917
expenditure
- The Vicar of Wakefield. A Tale, Supposed to be written by Himself . 2 vols. London: Collins 1766.
- The Vicar of Wakefield. With illustrations by Hugh Thomson . Hertfordshiere: Wordsworth 1998. ISBN 1-85326747-3
- German translations
- The Country Priest of Wakefield . A fairy tale that he is said to have written himself. Translation by Johann Gottfried Gellius . [German first edition]. Leipzig: Weidmann u. Empire 1767
- The Country Preacher of Wakefield . A story. Translated by Ernst Susemihl . With illustrations by Ludwig Richter . Berlin: A. Hofmann & Comp. 1853.
- The Country Pastor of Wakefield . From d. Engl. By Ilse Buchholz. Epilogue: Eberhard Brüning. With wood engravings by Andreas Brylka . Leipzig: Dieterich 1959. (Dieterich Collection. 112.)
- The Country Pastor of Wakefield . Translated from the English by Otto Weith. Stuttgart: Reclam 1971.
- The Vicar of Wakefield . Revised by Linus Kefer . With 40 illustrations by Alfred Kubin . Vienna, Stuttgart: Wancura 1977.
- The Vicar of Wakefield. A story supposedly written by himself . From d. Engl. Trans. by Andreas Ritter. Follow-up by David Wells. With 10 illustrations by Tony Johannot . Zurich: Manesse-Verl. 1985. ISBN 978-3-717-51692-7
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ All evidence from: Oliver Goldsmith: The Vicar of Wakefield. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008, here pp. 35–40.
- ↑ Complete version, with German subtitles , youtube, accessed on September 7, 2017