Categories: Literary Studies: Fiction, Novelists & Prose Writers Contemporary Fiction Classic Books & Novels Political & Legal Political & Legal Social & Political Philosophy


Caleb Williams
3.45 (4,376 ratings by Goodreads)
Paperback Oxford Worlds Classics English
By (author) William Godwin , Edited by Pamela Clemit


He appears to be persecutor and I the persecuted: is not this difference the mere creature of the imagination?

Caleb is a guileless young servant who enters the employment of Ferdinando Falkland, a cosmopolitan and benevolent country gentleman. Falkland is subject to fits of unexplained melancholy, and Caleb becomes convinced that he harbours a dark secret. His discovery of the truth leads to false accusations against him, and a vengeful pursuit as suspenseful as any thriller.

The novel is also a powerful political allegory, inspired by the events of the decade following the French Revolution. This new edition reproduces the original novel of 1794, which captures the raw indignation and sense of injustice felt by victims of British law. It includes the startlingly different manuscript ending, and selected variants in the second and third editions reflecting changes in Godwins political and philosophical thinking.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford Worlds Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxfords commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


Product details

Format Paperback | 416 pages
Dimensions 129 x 196 x 19mm | 289g
Publication date 15 Mar 2009
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication City/Country Oxford, United Kingdom
Language English
Edition New edition
Edition Statement New
ISBN10 0199232067
ISBN13 9780199232062
Bestsellers rank 58,454