Editing Oliver Goldsmith (section)

=== Works ===
{{see also|The Good-Natur'd Man|The Traveller (poem)}}

==== ''The Citizen of the World'' ====
In 1760 Goldsmith began to publish a series of letters in the ''Public Ledger'' under the title ''The Citizen of the World'' which brought him fame.<ref>{{cite book |last=De Breffny |first=Brian |author-link= |date=1983 |title=Ireland: A Cultural Encyclopedia |url= |location=London |publisher=Thames and Hudson |page=99 |isbn=}}</ref> Purportedly written by a Chinese traveller in England by the name of Lien Chi, they used this fictional outsider's perspective to comment ironically and at times moralistically on British society and manners. It was inspired by the earlier essay series ''[[Persian Letters]]'' by [[Montesquieu]].

==== ''The Hermit'' ====
Goldsmith wrote this 160-line romantic ballad in 1765. The hero and heroine are Edwin, a youth without wealth or power, and Angelina, the daughter of a lord "beside the Tyne". Angelina spurns many wooers, but refuses to make plain her love for young Edwin. "Quite dejected with my scorn", Edwin disappears and becomes a hermit. One day, Angelina turns up at his cell in boy's clothes and, not recognising him, tells him her story. Edwin then reveals his true identity, and the lovers never part again. The poem is notable for its interesting portrayal of a hermit, who is fond of the natural world and his wilderness solitude but maintains a gentle, sympathetic demeanour toward other people. In keeping with eremitical tradition, however, Edwin the Hermit claims to "spurn the [opposite] sex". This poem appears under the title of "A Ballad" sung by the character of Mr. Burchell in Chapter 8 of Goldsmith's novel, ''[[The Vicar of Wakefield]]''.<ref name="Dyachok">Dyachok, Tatyana (2012). ''Oliver Goldsmith's works in the sociocultural context of the Enlightenment''. Master's dissertation, Belarusian State University. pp. 341–342</ref>

==== ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' ====
{{main|The Vicar of Wakefield}}
This classic novel, published in 1766, tells the story of a devout and benevolent vicar, Charles Primrose, and his family who are reduced to poverty and prison. Dr. Primrose serves as the narrator. The novel includes an aristocratic villain, impersonation, abduction, and betrayal while exploring themes of faith, humility, social class, and the importance of family and community. 

==== ''The Deserted Village'' ====
{{main|The Deserted Village}}
In the 1760s Goldsmith witnessed the demolition of an ancient village and the destruction of its farms to clear land to become a wealthy man's garden. His poem ''The Deserted Village'', published in 1770, expresses a fear that the destruction of villages and the conversion of land from productive agriculture to ornamental [[landscape garden]]s would ruin the [[peasant]]ry.<ref name="Rowley" />

==== ''She Stoops to Conquer'' ====
{{main|She Stoops to Conquer}}

The satirical play, "She Stoops to Conquer", was first performed in 1773.
It is a story of love, mistaken identities, and social etiquette, known for its wit, class-based satire, and enduring characters. It is still regularly performed and has been adapted for film and television.

==== Other works ====

* ''Account of the Augustan Age in England'' (1759)
*''The Life of Richard Nash'' (Beau Nash) (1762)
* ''The History of England, from the Earliest Times to the Death of George II'' in 4 volumes (1771)
* ''Dr. Goldsmith's Roman History Abridged by Himself for the Use of Schools'' (1772)<ref>{{citation |last=Goldsmith |first=Oliver |title=Dr. Goldsmith's Roman History Abridged by Himself for the Use of Schools |date=1772 |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004897190.0001.000?view=toc |location=London |publisher=S. Baker & al. |display-authors=0 |author-link=Oliver Goldsmith}}</ref>
* ''An History of the Earth and Animated Nature'' in 8 volumes (1774)<ref>{{Cite web| title = Scientist of the Day: Oliver Goldsmith| work = The Linda Hall Library| access-date = 2025-03-23| url = https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/oliver-goldsmith/}}</ref>
* ''The Comic Romance of Monsieur Scarron'' in 2 vols., published posthumously (1775). Translation from the French of ''Le Roman Comique'' (1651-57), by Paul Scarron 
* ''The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith'' (1887), edited by Austin Dobson
* ''The Poems and Plays of Oliver Goldsmith'' (Frederick Warne and Co., 1889)
* ''The Grumbler: An Adaptation'' (1931), edited by [[Alice I. Perry Wood]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oliver Goldsmith – British and Irish Literature – Oxford Bibliographies – obo |url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846719/obo-9780199846719-0026.xml |access-date=2019-12-12 |website=www.oxfordbibliographies.com |language=en}}</ref>

Goldsmith has sometimes been credited with writing the classic children's tale ''[[The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes]]'', though this cannot be proved.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=n.d. |title=The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes |url=https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-history-of-little-goody-two-shoes |access-date=11 April 2023 |website=The British Library}}</ref>