Enlightenment in Ruins

Michael Griffin lectures in eighteenth-century and Irish studies at the University of Limerick, where he is Director of the Eighteenth Century Research Group. He has published widely on eighteenth-century studies, utopian satire, and Irish writing in English.

• AcknowledgmentsChronology of Goldsmith’s careerList of AbbreviationsIntroductionPart 1: Comparative views of races and nations1. The cultural climate: natural histories of national character2. The lie of the land: liberty and travel Part 2: Political landscapes and bodies politic3. Delicate allegories: Ireland and the East4. Geographies of Ruin: Ireland, America and Auburn’s absenteesIll Fares the Land: ConclusionBibliographyIndex

Griffin (18th-century and Irish studies, Univ. of Limerick) offers a fresh look at the career of Oliver Goldsmith. Departing from the view that Goldsmith's dabbling in varied themes and genres renders his canon a 'sentimental foil to Swift,' Griffin presents Goldsmith as representing complex political strands rooted in his Irish sympathies. This critical stance allows readers to appreciate the tensions between Enlightenment contexts and Jacobite politics. The study consists of four essays. The first chapters deal with Goldsmith's survey of human nature and examine contemporary theories. The second section concerns political landscapes and deals specifically with Irish themes and concerns. In the final chapter, Griffin's interpretation of 'The Deserted Village' gathers the considerations of the previous chapters and situates the poetic critique in an Irish context. This volume, part of Bucknell's 'Transits' series, devoted to 18th-century studies, offers a vital contribution toward understanding the work of an often underappreciated author. The extensive notes and bibliography support further study of Oliver Goldsmith by specialists in Irish and 18th-century literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.