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The Grounded Patriot: Oliver Goldsmith As Historical Compiler

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The Grounded Patriot: Oliver Goldsmith As Historical Compiler The Grounded Patriot: Oliver Goldsmith as Historical Compiler A thesis submitted to the School of English, Trinity College, Dublin for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. March, 2019 Yuhki Takebayashi Declaration I declare that this thesis had not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and that it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library condition of use and acknowledgement. --------------------------- Yuhki Takebayashi Dublin, March 29, 2019 Summary Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) began his career as a writer in London in 1757 and laboured as an anonymous hack until he leaped into literary stardom with the publication of his first, major poem, The Traveller (1764). His industriousness did not cease until his death, and he continued to produce numerous works. Not only does the quantity of his outputs impress us today, but his engagement in diverse fields of writing was arguably unmatched by his contemporaries. However, of Goldsmith’s diverse writerly portfolio, much attention has been directed towards his great poetical, theatrical and novelistic works, at the expense of his historical compilations: An History of England, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son (1764), the Roman History (1769), the History of England (1771) and the Grecian History (1774). Indeed, from the late-eighteenth century onwards, these texts have been enduringly and progressively dismissed as lesser works. Broadly speaking, this thesis attempts to dismantle the lowly regard with which Goldsmith’s histories continues to be regarded. To this extent, firstly, the deepening trend towards pushing these compilations to the outer reaches of the Goldsmithian orbit is traced in detail and a robust defence against such an outlook is provided. The great, potential value they hold as materials of scholarly import is thus established. Following this, the histories are used to discover specific aspects of Goldsmith’s mindset. To begin, the History of England is examined to reveal his socio-political inclination. It is argued that he was a relatively objective and principled historian with an increasingly strong desire to warn his English readers of the dangers that they faced as a nation and earnestly sought to forward his belief in the need for a more equitable distribution of wealth. Then, his approach towards Ireland and the Irish is looked at by comparing his two English histories. It is established that while he increasingly valued his sense of English identity, there was enough of an Irishman left in him that he, in 1771, voiced concern over Britain’s neglectful and overbearing treatment of Ireland both politically and economically. Lastly, his religious tendencies are revealed by considering all of his histories. It is asserted that while he was never able to extrapolate himself from the common prejudices of the time, he still fought to make a case for amicability and toleration, for the sake of social cohesiveness and power. 2 In conclusion, the need to reconsider Goldsmith’s histories as valuable works in and of themselves is asserted and, by drawing the strands of what has been discovered in the preceding chapters, it is proposed that he should be acknowledged as a grounded patriot; as one who soberly reflected upon the realities of the moment to champion the cause of both Britain and Ireland. In terms of methodology, the historical context is paid attention to, and the manner in which Goldsmith had, in composing his historical compilations, deviated from, modified and re-conveyed remarks found in his source materials is taken into account. It should also be mentioned that in the second chapter, focus is primarily directed towards the History of England, as it has been the work most subjected to criticism along political lines. And in the following chapter, the Letters from a Nobleman and the History of England is examined in detail, as they contain the most direct and relevant clues to Goldsmith’s Irishness. Finally, in the last chapter, Goldsmith’s two English histories, along with his Roman History and Grecian History, are studied, as they all contain valuable information pertaining to Goldsmith’s religious sensibilities. 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgements 5 Abbreviations 6 Chronology of Oliver Goldsmith’s life and career 7 Introduction: History Writing in the Eighteenth Century 9 1. Once More unto the Breach: Goldsmith’s Reputation as ‘Historian’ 30 2. A Prospect of Society: the Politics of the History of England 69 3. The Island of Saints and Sages: Goldsmith and Ireland 111 4. For a Slice of their Scurvy Religion: Piety, Catholicism and Judaism 148 Conclusion: Goldsmith, the Grounded Patriot 200 Bibliography 204 4 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the staff of the Trinity College, Dublin Library for their professional and friendly assistance over the course of this thesis. I am also grateful to the staff of the University College, Dublin Library; the National Library of Ireland; the Sibbald Library; the British Library; the New York Public Library; and the Free Library of Philadelphia for their assistance with this project. In particular, I would like to thank Mr Joseph Shemtov, Mr Joshua McKeon and Mr Iain Milne for kindly sending me photographs of manuscripts held in their respective libraries. I am indebted to the School of English of Trinity College, Dublin for their financial assistance in the form of a studentship and a travel grant. I would particularly like to express my appreciation to my parents, Atsushi and Ayako Takebayashi, for their extremely generous support, without which I would not have been able to pursue my studies. This thesis has benefited enormously from the expertise of my supervisor, Dr David O’Shaughnessy. I cannot thank David enough for his constant encouragement, patience and insightful commentary over the past four years. Also, I am extremely grateful for the kindness and encouragement that I have received from Prof. Aileen Douglas. Furthermore, I remember with great fondness an occasion wherein I was able to converse with Prof. Norma Clarke and Prof. Michael Griffin. Their good humour and willingness to share their knowledge with me has touched me deeply. The friendship of a number of fellow students has been a great help to me during my time at Trinity College, Dublin, particularly that of Rachael Scally, Dr Brendan Twomey and John Tighe. Moreover, my family were fantastic throughout and I want to thank my mother, father and sisters for their love and support. Additionally, I would like to thank Ms Jessica Eastling for kindly agreeing to help me with my dealings with the New York Public Library. I would also like to express my deepest thanks to the Taylor family and for their warm hospitality and generosity. My fondness for Ireland would not have sunk as deep as it has without the many moments of levity I had spent with Krystyna, Paul, Barbara and Conor Kissane and, above all, with Julia, to whom I dedicate this thesis. 5 Abbreviations Published Histories by Goldsmith Letters from a Nobleman Oliver Goldsmith, An History of England, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son, 2 vols (London: J. Newbery, 1764). Roman History Oliver Goldsmith, The Roman History, from the Foundation of the City of Rome to the Destruction of the Western Empire, 2 vols (London: T. Davies, 1769). History of England Oliver Goldsmith, The History of England, from the Earliest Times to the Death of George II, 4 vols (London: T. Davies, 1771). Grecian History Oliver Goldsmith, The Grecian History: from the Earliest State to the Death of Alexander the Great, 2 vols (London: J. and F. Rivington, T. Cadell… etc., 1774). Other Primary Sources CH Goldsmith: The Critical Heritage, ed. by G.S. Rousseau (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1974). CW The Collected Works of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by Arthur Friedman, 5 vols (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966). IR Goldsmith: Interviews and Recollections, ed. by E.H. Mikhail (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993). Letters The Letters of Oliver Goldsmith, ed. by Michael Griffin and David O’Shaughnessy (Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2018). References and Journals DNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Online PMLA Publications of the Modern Language Association 6 Chronology of Oliver Goldsmith’s life and career 1728: Oliver Goldsmith is born, likely at Pallas, County Westmeath, Ireland; the second son and fifth child of Charles Goldsmith and his wife, Ann. 1745: Admitted to Trinity College, Dublin as a sizar. 1747: Death of Goldsmith’s father. 1750: Graduates from Trinity, College, Dublin with a BA. 1750-52: Works as a tutor to the Flinn family in County Roscommon. Makes an unsuccessful attempt to emigrate to America. Fails to journey to London to study law. 1752-54: Studies medicine at the University of Edinburgh. 1754-56: Travels to the continent with the intention of furthering his medical education. Wanders through Flanders, France, Germany Switzerland and Italy by foot. 1756-57: Arrives in England. Works at various jobs, including that of an apothecary and physician. 1757: Introduced to Ralph Griffiths while under the employ of Dr John Milner as an usher at a boys’ school in Peckham, Surrey. Begins working as a regular contributor to the Monthly Review. 1758: Translates Jean Martheile’s Memoirs of a Protestant. Encounters Edmund Burke sometime in 1758 and 1759. 1759: Contributes to Tobias Smollett’s Critical Review and publishes An Enquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning and The Bee. 1759-60: Composes essays for the Busy Body, the Weekly Magazine, the Royal Magazine, the British Magazine, the Lady’s Magazine.
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