Project Gutenberg 2015-11-19 Public domain in the USA. 315 Goldsmith, Oliver 1774 Goldsmit, Oliver Etching Club (London, England) The Deserted Village Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by Google Books "The Deserted Village" by Oliver Goldsmith is a poem written in the 18th century. This reflective piece explores themes of rural life, nostalgia, and the impacts of commercialization on agrarian society. In the poem, Goldsmith laments the loss of the idyllic village life of Sweet Auburn, which represents a simpler, happier existence in harmony with nature. The poem begins with an affectionate description of Sweet Auburn, celebrating the joys of village life, including communal activities, pastoral beauty, and the bonds formed among its people. As the narrative unfolds, it shifts to a more somber tone, detailing the decline of the village due to the encroachment of wealth and industrialization, leading to desolation and despair. Goldsmith poignantly illustrates the plight of the villagers forced to abandon their home for the allure of urban wealth, only to find themselves in a harsher environment. The poem ends with a mournful farewell to the rustic virtues and the community spirit that once thrived in Sweet Auburn, highlighting the detrimental effects of luxury and loss of innocence. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en English poetry -- 18th century PR Text Category: Poetry Category: British Literature 76927 2025-07-20T08:20:19.501865 text/html 56600 2024-10-22T23:28:43 text/html 6753723 2025-07-20T08:20:25.052847 application/epub+zip 6737725 2025-07-20T08:20:20.780913 application/epub+zip 92419 2025-07-20T08:20:19.945883 application/epub+zip 6761128 2025-07-20T08:20:28.191821 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 6739177 2025-07-20T08:20:23.349867 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 120633 2022-09-22T19:02:27.668502 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 45571 2025-07-20T08:20:18.790909 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 25732 2024-10-22T23:28:43 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16616 2025-07-20T08:20:28.362840 application/rdf+xml 11941 2025-07-20T08:20:20.031902 image/jpeg 2348 2025-07-20T08:20:19.988899 image/jpeg 10865334 2025-07-20T08:20:19.651919 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia