Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
I have endeavoured in vain to investigate who was their author, and to whom they were addressed. It should seem, from the internal evidence of the composition, that they were written by a person, who was originally of a low rank or a menial station, but who was distinguished by his lord for those abilities and talents, he imagined he discovered in him. I have learned, by a kind of vague tradition, upon which I can place little dependence, that the noble pupil was the owner of a magnificent chateau not a hundred miles from your lordship's admired seat in the county of Buckingham. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
William Godwin was one of the most popular novelists of the Romantic era; P.B. Shelley praised him, Byron drew heavily on his narrative style, and Mary Shelley—Godwin's daughter—dedicated Frankenstein to him.

Caleb Williams tells the riveting account of a young man whose curiosity leads him to pry into a murder from the past. Caleb is a self-taught man of humble origins who through his own abilities has risen to a respectable post as secretary to Falkland, a local Squire. Intrigued by Falkland's peculiar behaviour, and out of concern for him, Caleb begins a quiet investigation into his employer's past. The first novel of crime and detection in English literature, Caleb Williams is also a powerful exposé of the evils and inequities of the political and social system in 1790s Britain. The most overtly political edition, that of 1794, is here used as the copytext. In addition to the text itself, the editors have included an extensive selection of primary source materials from the period, ranging from Godwin's original manuscript ending and excerpts from his political writings to contemporary reviews, the political writings of Burke and Paine, and materials on criminals and the English!prison system.Download Description
This novel is about Caleb Williams, a self-taught young man who has risen to the honorable post of secretary to Falkland, a local Squire known for his kindness. Caleb is puzzled by Falkland's peculiar behavior and begins a quiet study of his employer's past. He searches a room he was warned against entering and discovers evidence proving Falkland guilty of a murder for which another man was hanged. Caleb is then forced to flee Falkland's vengeance, and his flight intensifies a powerful revelation of the inequities of Britain's political and social system in the 1790's. Caleb's fall from him promising career with a decent and honorable intellectual casts him into the criminal element as Falkland continues his pursuit. Caleb maintains his innocence to the false accusations of burglary thrown at him. After he is finally vindicated of these charges, he insists on his guilt because he feels unable to bear the reproach he brings upon Falkland. The story is endlessly complex and fascinating, involving issues of power and the imperfect idea of human justice.Please Note:This book has been reformatted to be easy to read in true text, not scanned images that can sometimes be difficult to decipher.The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter headings for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks at chapter headings and is printable up to two full copies per year.Both versions are text searchable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Who Saw A One Armed Man Flee ...
In CALEB WILLIAMS, William Godwin begins a genre that will be known as the "chase" theme, one that Victor Hugo will later pick up in print and television will, much later, dramatize as Dr. Richard Kimble, The Fugitive.All chase themes involving an innocent man necessarily involve two criteria: the one being chased must be innocent and the chaser must have a credible stake in the chase.Both are present in the book. The hero is Caleb Williams, a secretary for a sullen employer named Falkland, a man who himself was reputed to be the innocent victim of a capital crime. Caleb spends considerable time prying into the affairs of his employer, who tells Caleb, that he is indeed guilty as charged and warns Caleb to be silent.Caleb refuses and Falkland has him arrested on a trumped-up charge. Caleb escapes and the chase begins.The chaser is less an individual than a collective entity.There is no Inspector Javert from Hugo or Lieutenant Gerard from "The Fugitive" who tirelessly pursues Caleb. Rather it is the unjust law itself. Godwin was disturbed over the potential of the law to torment the impoverished innocent who lacked the means to mount a proper legal defense.The ending in which Falkland admits to his crime in front of a magistrate just three days prior to his death smacks of a fabricated ending, but the message to Godwin's audience was chillingly clear.Innocence is no defense against the rich and powerful, a warning which rang just as true in Godwin's day as in ours.

The first crime novel?
In his study of the crime novel "Bloody Murder " the critic and novelist Julian Symons made out a persuasive case for Caleb Williams to be considered the first fully fledged crime novel to be published.As a contrast Scott Bradfield ,writing in the book " Horror ;the Best 100 books"(edited by Jones and Newman)included the book as his choice for the best horror title.
I am more persuaded by Symons categorization -although there are elements of the Gothic novel present that lend support to Bradfields assertions and it strikes me as an interesting paradox that such a pioneering work in the crime literature pantheon is one that fundamentally contradicts so many of the values espoused by later crime writers with their social and intellectual conservatism.Caleb Williams is the work of a political radical , an Anarchist and supporter of the French Revolution,many of whose friends and associates were in prison for sedition and treason at the time he wrote the book eg Tom Paine.
Caleb is a young man taken into the employ of the local squire Falkland ,a kind and public spirited man but one who harbours a secret ,which is concealed in a room that Caleb is instructed he must never visit .He disobeys and finds evidence that Falkland is a murderer ,guilty of a crime for which another man was hanged.He is forced to flee to escape Falkland's vengeance ,a flight that sees him throw in his lot with a robber gang amomgst others.
On one level it is a tale of pusuit and flight ;on another it is a swingeing critique of injustice ;an injustice Godwin sees as inherent in any oligarchial political system.
The first part of the book -which establishes Falkland as an essentially kind and decent man-is heavy going for modern readers but as the novel gains pace and Caleb's plight intensifies it becomes a more gripping tale .

Recommended for crime fiction devotees who want to see what thepre Poe practitioners were doing ;it will also interest students of the relatively unexplored highways and bye ways of the English novel.

I have very mixed feelings about this one.
Today, William Godwin is perhaps best known as the 'anarchist' philosopher who wrote "Enquiry Concerning Political Justice..." It is my understanding that in the 19th century, although his philosophy was popular, his fiction also garnered significant attention. After reading both "Enquiry" and "Caleb Williams," I can see both why his novels were popular then and why they're scarcely in print now.

As a story, this novel is pretty good. It is a psychological suspense story of first (teetering on second) rate. The tale is about Caleb Williams's descent from a promising career as personal secretary to an intellectual, to a fleeting criminal that ironically was, at first, innocent. So, while the plot and action are good, these are buried in over-emotional asides and one dimensional characters. You never quite get to know Caleb, Mr. Falkland or anyone else here. All in all, as a story, I give it 4 stars as the plot makes up for any weaknesses.

As a political/social commentary, this novel has 2 stars. First, unless she has read "Enquiry Concerning Political Justice," the reader will not pick up on many of the subtle points Godwin makes about the nature of liberty and its preconditions. Second, while trying to show Caleb as victim of a flawed legal system, Godwin created in Caleb a character that was just as villianous. The only way Calebs often villanous behavior could be explained is Godwin's belief in determinism; the theory that our actions are predetermined solely by external circumstance - in other words, Caleb, while increasingly underhanded in his actions, is not responsible for them as he is treated like a criminal anyhow. At any rate, one may not get these points if they've not read Godwin the philosopher.

In short, I would reccomend this novel but with hesitancy. First, I would qualify the reccomendation with "but you should read "Enquiry" first." Well, since "Enquiry" is 800+ pages (and out of print in every edition) this is quite an undertaking in itself. However, if the reader JUST wants a good suspense story (minus the philosophical undertones) then this is a pretty good novel.

An adventure in sheer psychological terror.
Having never myself been the victim of a wrongful criminal accusation, imprisonment, or torture, I was ill-prepared for the experience of reading "Caleb Williams". I once thought that Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm," or the fiction works of Camus, Kafka, or Sartre were more than adequate to address the problem of total alienation and isolation in the very midst of humanity. Even Richardson's "Pamela" carries its heroine through half the novel in a state of claustrophobic paranoia. In 1794, Godwin created a world and a mind no less frightening than the worst and most depraved of the 20th century. That we still toil through issues of basic human and legal rights entering the 21st century speaks to the complexity of these issues and casts a shadow of doubt over our ever finding a suitable solution.

In an effort to expose the hypocrisy of a legal system under the complete influence of the "long purse" and the lack of recourse of the common man to justice, Godwin has his hero Caleb suffer increasing terrors, imprisonment, and the threat of ceaseless surveillance at the hands of the ex-thief Gines. Like Richardson's Pamela, Caleb's suicidal fantasies enable him for a short while to claim control over his mind and his situation.

Unlike Pamela, Caleb fails to maintain this control, even after he forces the ruthless Falkland to admit to the murder of Tyrrel. In a scene reminsicent of ones in "1984" and Kafka's "The Trial," Caleb relinquishes what little power he has been able to garner over his torturer. Falkland, a frail, physically powerless, demoniacal 'gentleman,' through a constant and pervasive presence in Caleb's own fragile mind has unwittingly reclaimed final power over the novel's helpless hero.

By internalizing the social hierarchy since childhood, Caleb is finally unable to bear the disgrace he brings upon Falkland. Ironically, while he is pursued across England and Wales as a thief, he claims innocence. Once he is exonerated of his crime, he is insistent on his guilt. "Caleb Williams" is an endlessly complex and captivating novel, frought with issues of power, levels of narrative, and takes issue with the flawed notion of human justice. ... Read more

Book Description
Much more than the biography of a family. It is in large measure the biography of an era . . . The reader comes away with the feeling that he has witnessed a panorama of intellectual history which transcends the records of individual failures and weaknesses. ... Read more

Book Description
Set in Europe during the Protestant Reformation and first published in1799, St. Leon tells the story of an impoverished aristocrat who obtainsthe philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality. In thisphilosophical fable, endless riches and immortal life prove to be cursesrather than gifts and transform St. Leon into an outcast. William Godwin'ssecond full-length novel explores the predicament of a would-bephilanthropist whose attempts to benefit humanity are frustrated bysuperstition and ignorance.

This Broadview edition includes a critical introduction and fullannotation. The appendices include contemporary reviews of the novel;Godwin's writings on immortality, the domestic affections, and alchemy; andselections from works influenced by St. Leon, most notably Mary Shelley'sFrankenstein. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

So you're immortaland everything will be allright?
The main character gambles away his inheritance, moves to Switzerland and survives on a minimum with his family. Learns how to make gold, becomesimmortal, and thinks that now everything will be allright forever. But that is not so, not at all!

Originally published in 1799, this book is highly readable even today. One can find elements of Frankenstein here (the author is Mary Shelleys father).
... Read more

Book Description
When honest young Caleb Williams comes to work as a secretary for Squire Falkland, he soon begins to suspect that his new master is hiding a secret. As he digs deeper into Falkland’s past and finally unearths the horrible truth, the results of his curiosity prove calamitous when—even though Caleb has loyally sworn never to disclose what he has discovered—the Squire enacts a cruel revenge. A tale of gripping suspense and psychological power, William Godwin’s novel creates a searing depiction of the intolerable persecution meted out to a good man in pursuit of justice and equality. Written to expose the political oppression and corrupt hierarchies its author saw in the world around him, Caleb Williams makes a radical call to end the tyrannical misuses of power.Download Description
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ERNEST A. BAKER, M.A. LONDON 1903. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Man is the only common foe of man
This novel is a forceful combination of political / social / judicial criticism, thriller elements and a powerful investigation into the real nature of man.

Politically, the author castigates the chasm between what one ought to do and reality: `We that are rich must do every thing in our power to lighten the yoke of these unfortunate people. We must not use the advantage that accident has given us with an unmerciful hand.' Nevertheless, `wealth and despotism easily know how to engage those laws as the coadjutor of their oppression, which were perhaps at first intended for the safeguards of the poor.'
Justice is totally biased: `Mr. Falkland is a man of rank and fortune; he is your master. I am a poor country lad without a friend in the world. That is a ground of real difference ...but it is not a sufficient ground for the subversion of justice.'
But, `law has neither eyes, nor ears, nor bowels of humanity; and it turns into marble the hearts of all those that are nursed in its principle.'
Socially, the system is fundamentally corrupt, a synonym for `tyranny and perfidiousness exercised by the powerful members of the community against those who were less privileged than themselves.'

Godwin's vision of the world is pessimistic: `Accursed world! that hates without a cause' that overwhelms innocence with calamities which ought to be spared even to guilt! Accursed world! dead to every manly sympathy; with eyes of horn, and hearts of steel!'
His picture of fundamental human selfishness, of pure evil and of despotic and resentful emotions and actions is impressive. He is baffled by man's `hero'worship: `Man is surely a strange sort of creature, who never praise any one more heartily than him who has spread destruction and ruin over the face of nature.'
He sees however one bright spot: freedom of the mind: `The mind is master of itself; and is endowed with powers that might enable to laugh at the tyrant's vigilance.'

The novel has one minus point: its final with an ultimate reversal in the psychological warfare. It seems incredible and improbable (a destruction by suspicion).
However, it is a very compelling read, a real discovery.

Not to be missed.
... Read more

Book Description
St. Leon, William Godwin's second novel, is a work of challenging ambition. Set during the Protestant Reformation, it tells the harrowing tale of an exiled French aristocrat who is given the secrets of the philosopher's stone and the elixer of life. His attempts to use these gifts to benefit
humanity lead only to disaster, plunging him into self-destructive isoloation and arousing fascination, suspicion, and social unrest wherever he goes. It is a tale of obsession and spiralling pursuit, emphasizing the individual's powerlessness in the face of momentous historical change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Gothic
Loved this Gothic tale of an alchemist who invents a way to live for ever, then later realizes it is a curse.Lots of dark castles in Eastern Europe, Spain and other "mysterious" places with references to real people and events from the 16th to the 18th centuries.Good writing, clever unpredicatble plot.

Not Godwin's Best, But Good Enough
William Godwin's 1799 novel, "St. Leon," builds on themes he and patterns he established in his first novel "Caleb Williams".Godwin's first concern, as always, is the way that the operations of government affect the individual.Godwin complicates the scenario of persecution, pursuit, and paranoia he worked with in "Caleb Williams" by giving his hero, Reginald St. Leon, a wife and children.Godwin goes deep into human psychology to explore how the vicissitudes of human fortune affect not only one man, but how his responses to the world affect everyone around him.

The novel begins in the early 1520's, at the very beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.The anti-hero is Reginald St. Leon, a landed aristocrat, building his name in war and society.As a youth, he develops an unfortunate penchant for gambling which places his family's fortune and his legacy in severe straits.His friend and advisor, a gentleman by the name of de Damville, offers his daughter to St. Leon.De Damville trusts that by settling down with a prudent young lady like Marguerite, he will abandon his wanton lifestyle and become the man that his noble house expects....

One day, St. Leon is approached by an old man who takes him into confidence, promising St. Leon a way to recuperate his fortune, on the condition that he tells no one what passes between them.Offered the ultimate prizes of alchemy, the philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality, St. Leon is sworn to silence, alienating him further from his wife and family.The next three volumes of the novel show the catastrophic aftermath of St. Leon's new gifts.St. Leon wanders all over Europe, abandoning his family, trying to use his unlimited wealth to benefit mankind.His experiments are ill-conceived, though, and he ends up, like his predecessor Caleb Williams, a complete outcast to humanity, hated by his family, pursued by the Spanish Inquisition, and imprisoned by the Hungarian Turks.

More psychologically complex than "Caleb Williams," "St. Leon" gives us a broad range of characters, male and female, who are each affected by their contact with St. Leon.We are exposed by Godwin, in a time when nations measured themselves as good by the supposed evil of other nations, to a kind of social relativism.In France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Hungary, Godwin gives us, not only St. Leon's perspective, but forces us to consider 16th (and by reflection 18th) century international relations from the vantage point of each.

However, this diffusion and variety that contributes to the complexity of the novel, socially, politically, and psychologically, also detracts from the overall effect of the novel upon the reader.Where "Caleb Williams" drives straight through in a constant state of panic and terror, "St. Leon" has a looser structure, and as a result, moves much slower, and does not captivate or enthrall as the earlier novel does.Overall, "St. Leon" is an extremely interesting novel, and should appeal to fans of psychological gothic and historical novels. ... Read more