SOURCE: "Duality of Theme in the Vicar of Wakefield" in College English, Vol. 22, No. 5, 1961, pp. 315-21.

In the essay below, Adelstein argues that the key to understanding The Vicar of Wakefield is recognizing the transformation of Primrose.

The overwhelming and continuous popularity of The Vicar of Wakefield has caused critics in recent years to reason that such success must be attributed to more unity and coherence in the novel than had formerly been recognized.¹ Casting traditional evaluations aside, the latest appraisers of Goldsmith's novel have found harmony, contrapuntal balance, consistency, unity, careful planning, and elaborate pattern. The comments about The Vicar have run full cycle since Macaulay's frequently quoted statement that the plot was "one of the worst that ever were constructed."²

My contention is that truth in this instance is to be found somewhere between the polar extremes. I should like to suggest that Goldsmith did have...