Oliver Goldsmith

The son of an Irish protestant clergyman, he graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1749. He studied medicine at Edinburgh and Leiden, but he was unsuccessful as a Doctor. In 1756 he settled in London, where he was modestly successful as a contributor to periodicals and as the author of "Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning in Europe" (1759). But it was not until "The Citizen of the World" (1762), a series of unusual and satirical essays, that he was recognised as an gifted man of letters. His fame grew with "The Traveler"(1764), a philosophic poem, and the nostalgic pastoral "The Deserted Village" (1770). However, his literary reputation rests on his two comedies, "The Good-natur’d Man" (1768) and "She Stoops to Conquer" (1773), and his only novel, "The Vicar of Wakefield" (1766). His comedies inserted a much-needed sense of realism into the uninteresting, sentimental plays of the period. They are lively, witty, and imbued with an appealing humanity. "The Vicar of Wakefield" is the warm, humorous, melodramatic story of a country cleric and his family. Although he earned a great deal of money in his lifetime, Goldsmith’s extravagance kept him poor. Boswell depicted him as a ridiculous, blundering, but also a tenderhearted and generous creature. He had the friendship of many of the literary and artistic great of his day, the most notable being that of Samuel Johnson.

Other References

• "Oliver Goldsmith", Westminster Abbey

J. J. Kelly. 'The early haunts of Oliver Goldsmith' states he went to school in Athlone and Edgeworthstown.

There has been controversy over his date and place of birth. James Prior in 'The Life of Oliver Goldmsith' and John Forster in 'The life and times of Oliver Goldsmith' say it was on 10 November 1728 at Pallas; this is endorsed by A. Lytton Sells in 'Oliver Goldsmith'. The date of 1728 is also given by Irwin A (Pedigree of Sir Alfred M. B. Irwin C.S.I. and his wife Alice Kathleen née French) (National Library of Ireland GO MS 436) and by J. J. Kelly in 'The early haunts of Oliver Goldsmith'. A family Bible states he was born at Pallas on 10 November, but the year is missing. Nevertheless claims have been made that this was written later and that he was actually born in Elphin: it was stated in a letter by Robert Jones Lloyd to the Rev. Dr Strean in 1807 that according to his mother and grandfather George Hicks Oliver's mother spent much of her time with her mother living at Smith-Hill and that Oliver was born there (Michael F. Cox, 'The country and kindred of Oliver Goldsmith' in Journal of the National Literary Society of Ireland, vol. I part I (1900)). His memorial in Westminster Abbey gives the date of 29 November 1731. The admission records of Trinity College Dublin (Alumni Dublinenses) imply a date of 1730 or 1731 and say he was born in Co. Westmeath, but the latter is probably his place of residence rather than a historical record.