The discourse of place in the canon of Oliver Goldsmith
Abstract
This dissertation explores the discourse of the key term "place" in its social, economic, and political contexts as they appear in the canonical works of the eighteenth-century Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith. By tracing this key term through the works of both Goldsmith and those of various contemporaries, and by analyzing how this term functions as a social term, an economic term, and a political term, this scholar may demonstrate that Goldsmith's multi-faceted canon functions as a compendious and insightful commonplace book of eighteenth-century thought. Throughout this study, Goldsmith's literary efforts yield a number of insights into English society and its class structure, its economic search for a moderate golden mean, and its strong need for political liberty and subsequent hatred of arbitrary power. In short, this study recontextualizes Goldsmith the writer as Goldsmith the cultural historian--a shift in traditional focus that can only serve to maintain Goldsmith's somewhat faded reputation.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Adler, Purdue University.
Subject Area
British and Irish literature
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