IRISH-AMERICAN-L Archives

From: "Jean R." <>
Subject: [IRISH-AMER] Co. Longford's Writer,Oliver GOLDSMITH (c. 1730-1774) -- Excerpt from "The Traveller"
Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 21:12:30 -0700

SNIPPET: Oliver GOLDSMITH (c.1730-1774) was a marvelously-talented Irish
writer who produced a variety of works marked by a charming, lively style.
He was born in or around Ballymahon, Co. Longford, Ireland, studied
medicine, but was never a serious student. In 1756, he went to London and
tried unsuccessfully to establish himself as a doctor and began writing for
magazines to support himself. Goldsmith won his first recognition for "The
Traveller" (1764), a philosophical poem. (See excerpt below). He became a
successful author, but he was careless with money and owed many debts when
he died. He belonged to the famous Literary Club, which centered around
Samuel JOHNSON.

GOLDSMITH believed that comedy should make people laugh and attacked the
tearful comedies then popular on the London stage in an essay "A Comparison
between the Laughing and Sentimental Comedy" (1773). His play "She Stoops to
Conquer" (1773) ranks among the finest comedies every written. Its hero is a
bashful young man who mistakes a country mansion for an inn. He treats the
master of the house as an innkeeper and the master's beautiful daughter as a
servant. The most amusing character is the daughter's brother, a brat whose
antics add to the confusion. Goldsmith's comedy "The Good-Natur'd Man"
(1768) was less successful. 'The Vicar of Wakefield' (1766), his only novel,
is a story about the simple life of the Primrose family and their
misfortunes. The father, a vicar (country clergyman), is an idealized figure
with a wise philosophy The novel is filled with kindly emotions, and teaches
the value of humility and courage.

Goldsmith's wonderful poem "The Deserted Village" (1770) is a long poem
about the English countryside. It shows the evil that results when people
place too much importance on money and luxury. It also paints a tender
picture of a happy farm village before commercial considerations destroyed
it. "The Citizen of the World" (1762) is a collection of Goldsmith's essays.

>From "The Traveller"
Eternal blessings crown my earliest friend
And round his dwelling guardian saints attend
Blest be that spot, where cheerful guests retire
To pause from toil, and trim their evening fire;
Blest that abode, where want and pain repair
And every stranger finds a ready chair;
Blest be those feasts with simple plenty crown'd,
Where all the ruddy family around
Laugh at the jests and pranks that never fail,
Or sigh with pity at some mournful tale,
Or press the bashful stranger to his food,
And learn the luxury of doing good.

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• [IRISH-AMER] Co. Longford's Writer,Oliver GOLDSMITH (c. 1730-1774) -- Excerpt from "The Traveller" by "Jean R." <>