English Language, Literature and Creative Writing Blog

  The virtuous, prudent, and intelligent vicar of Wakefield lives happily his family, which consists of his wife  Deborah , his sons  George ,  Moses ,  Bill , and  Dick , and his two daughters  Olivia  and  Sophia . They live a cloistered and genteel life, and are preparing for the eldest son George to marry a lovely neighbourhood girl, Miss  Arabella  Wilmot.     Unfortunately,  Mr. Wilmot  cancels the engagement after  the vicar  offends him in a philosophical argument about marriage, and after the vicar loses his fortune to a shady merchant who proved to be a thief. Now destitute, the family is forced to move to a more humble area. In their new neighbourhood, the vicar works as a curate and farmer. The family sends George, who had been educated at Oxford, to London in hopes that he can earn a living there to supplement the family's income. The new area is comfortable and pastoral, but the women in particular find it difficult to acclimate to a lower level of fashion tha

  The Vicar The protagonist and narrator of the novel, the vicar is virtuous, intelligent, moral, and religious. Though he has great pride in his family, he does not possess much worldly wisdom. He is often deceived by the appearances and behavior of those around him. He has a difficult time with the many misfortunes his family suffers, but learns the value of fortitude by the novel's end. He is sometimes referred to as Dr. Primrose. Deborah The vicar's wife, Deborah Primrose is smart and independent, but given over to vanity and pretensions to a higher social status. She is particularly prideful of her daughters. George The vicar's eldest son, George Primrose is an educated but naive young man. His journey into the wider world produces no great success, but does confirm his virtue and good character. Olivia The vicar's eldest daughter, Olivia Primrose is extremely vain, and concerned with her social status. Her reputation is nearly ruined through her rela

A  vicar  (/ˈvɪkər/; Latin: vicarius)  is  a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically,  vicar is  cognate with the  English  prefix "vice",    similarly  meaning  "deputy".A  Priest  is someone who can perform the sacred rituals of the mass, specifically the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as many of the other rituals can be performed by a deacon (Marriage, Funeral, Baptism, etc.). A  Vicar  is someone who acts as a representative of another (performing the duties of the office vicariously).   Published in 1766,  The Vicar of Wakefield  by Oliver Goldsmith became one of the most widely read novels of the Victorian era. It is widely referenced in British literature—from Charles Dickens'  Tale of Two Cities  to Jane Austen's  Emma  and George  Eliot's  Middlemarch .  Goldsmith was an Irish novelist and this no