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A review by ketutar
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
3.0
Hmm... When we were in High School, my classmate read this book and she thought it was hilarious. She had a wonderful sense of humor. She thought [b:Don Quixote|3836|Don Quixote|Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546112331l/3836._SX50_.jpg|121842] was even funnier. She couldn't speak of it without laughing so much that her speech made no sense.
I find the sarcasm in this book, but I don't think it's that funny. There are funny scenes, sure, but all in all, it feels to me as... well... perhaps I would have appreciated it more 250 years ago. Better knowing the circumstances.
It also makes me think of [b:Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue|16182384|Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue|Marquis de Sade|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364181572l/16182384._SY75_.jpg|13268607], even though in this one the virtues are being rewarded, and in that one, she was punished for being virtuous. To the end. Oh, G-d, how I despise that book!
What I find interesting is that also in [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413215930l/656._SY75_.jpg|4912783] there was a gad luring girls to elope with him, to get married by a sham priest, just to bed the girl and then abandon her.
Also... I thought the marriage between the villain and the rich girl didn't happen, that they were never married, but apparently, I'm wrong. Though... I don't understand how he could ever have received her fortune just by signing the papers. I thought there should have been a marriage for the agreement to be of any weight, but apparently not. It seems scrupulous guys could waltz around tricking rich girls off their heritage just like that.
I find the sarcasm in this book, but I don't think it's that funny. There are funny scenes, sure, but all in all, it feels to me as... well... perhaps I would have appreciated it more 250 years ago. Better knowing the circumstances.
It also makes me think of [b:Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue|16182384|Justine, or the Misfortunes of Virtue|Marquis de Sade|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1364181572l/16182384._SY75_.jpg|13268607], even though in this one the virtues are being rewarded, and in that one, she was punished for being virtuous. To the end. Oh, G-d, how I despise that book!
What I find interesting is that also in [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413215930l/656._SY75_.jpg|4912783] there was a gad luring girls to elope with him, to get married by a sham priest, just to bed the girl and then abandon her.
Also... I thought the marriage between the villain and the rich girl didn't happen, that they were never married, but apparently, I'm wrong. Though... I don't understand how he could ever have received her fortune just by signing the papers. I thought there should have been a marriage for the agreement to be of any weight, but apparently not. It seems scrupulous guys could waltz around tricking rich girls off their heritage just like that.