Rich with wisdom and gentle irony, Goldsmith's only novel tells of an unworldly and generous vicar who lives contentedly with his large family until disaster strikes. But bankruptcy, his daughter's abduction, and the vicar's imprisonment fail to dampen his spirit. Considered the author's finest work, this book is a delightful lampoon of 18th-century literary conventions.

The description of the family of Wakefield; in which a kindred likeness prevails as well of minds as of persons	p. 1
Family misfortunes. The loss of fortune only serves to encrease the pride of the worthy	p. 3
A migration. The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found at last to be of our own procuring	p. 6
A proof that even the humblest fortune may grant happiness, which depends not on circumstance, but constitution	p. 11
A new and great acquaintance introduced. What we place most hopes upon generally proves most fatal	p. 13
The happiness of a country fire-side	p. 16
A town wit described. The dullest fellows may learn to be comical for a night or two	p. 18
An amour, which promises little good fortune, yet may be productive of much	p. 21
Two ladies of great distinction introduced. Superior finery ever seems to confer superior breeding	p. 27
The family endeavours to cope with their betters. The miseries of the poor when they attempt to appear above their circumstances	p. 29
The family still resolve to hold up their heads	p. 32
Fortune seems resolved to humble the family of Wakefield. Mortifications are often more painful than real calamities	p. 35
Mr. Burchell is found to be an enemy; for he has the confidence to give disagreeable advice	p. 39
Fresh mortifications, or a demonstration that seeming calamities may be real blessings	p. 41
All Mr. Burchell's villainy at once detected. The folly of being over-wise	p. 45
The family use art, which is opposed with still greater	p. 49
Scarce any virtue found to resist the power of long and pleasing temptation	p. 52
The pursuit of a father to reclaim a lost child to virtue	p. 58
The description of a person discontented with the present government, and apprehensive of the loss of our liberties	p. 61
The history of a philosophic vagabond, pursuing novelty, but losing content	p. 67
The short continuance of friendship amongst the vicious, which is coeval only with mutual satisfaction	p. 76
Offences are easily pardoned where there is love at bottom	p. 82
None but the guilty can be long and completely miserable	p. 85
Fresh calamities	p. 88
No situation, however wretched it seems, but has some sort of comfort attending it	p. 91
A reformation in the gaol. To make laws complete, they should reward as well as punish	p. 94
The same subject continued	p. 97
Happiness and misery rather the result of prudence than of virtue in this life. Temporal evils or felicities being regarded by heaven as things merely in themselves trifling and unworthy its care in the distribution	p. 100
The equal dealings of providence demonstrated with regard to the happy and the miserable here below. That from the nature of pleasure and pain, the wretched must be repaid the balance of their sufferings in the life hereafter	p. 107
Happier prospects begin to appear. Let us be inflexible, and fortune will at last change in our favour	p. 110
Former benevolence now repaid with unexpected interest	p. 115
The Conclusion	p. 125
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