The Vicar Of Wakefield - A Story Of The Rise And Fall Of The Primroses The Vicar of Wakefield is regarded as one of the most popular novels of the 18th century. Written by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, the novel was one of the widely read works of fiction in the Victorian era. The Vicar of Wakefield is a story about a benevolent vicar named Dr Charles Primrose. The story follows their fall and their rise again in the middle 18th century England. Charles Primrose is a kind-hearted man who lives a happy life in a parish located in the countryside. He has invested the heritage from a dead relative and so money is no object there. He donates all he earns from his pay to orphans and war veterans, and everything seems to go well. But the merchant that holds Primroses’ investments flees town and the family finds itself in financial embarrassment. The coincidence has it that the mature son of Primrose - George - was about to get married to the daughter of a wealthy man. The girl’s father decides against the wedding when hearing about the family’s financial ordeal, and from here on the troubles keep coming. The family doesn’t have enough money to pay the rent and is forced to move to another parish which incidentally is located on the land of the womanizer Squire Thornhill. Thornhill’s uncle is a reputable man of honor and kindness, but the nephew creates only problems for the family, eventually leading to Charles Primroses’ arrest, the disappearance of one of his daughters with another one being thought dead and his son George arrested again. But a family friend comes to the rescue, the vicar regains his fortune and everything ends well. The Vicar of Wakefield may appear na ve to some, but its main qualities consists in an accurate depiction of family life back in the Victorian era and the love that characterized these relationships.