Caleb Williams

In late eighteenth century England, a young man in service to a locally-famous property owner discovers that his master is, in fact, a murderer who allowed two innocent men to be hanged for his crime. The dynamic between the two men becomes mutually recriminatory, as each man alternately hounds the other.This is, I think, a near-classic or a minor Great Work. It has its flaws, particularly in the run-up to the climax, but it does a number of things incredibly well. Arguably the first true "crime novel" (defined here as "a novel who's subject is specifically about crime"), it foretells a number of tropes that would become commonplace, and it showcased a sophisticated psychology and sociology far ahead of its time.I was immediately struck by how right Godwin gets the psychology. Williams is the protagonist, and is certainly put-upon, but he's not a good man per se -- the situation is clearly initiated by him and it's clear he is, at best, exceptionally foolish. The Squire he's opposed to is not simply a "bad" man, more a sad man and his complicated, push/pull relationship toward Williams strikes me as very believable. This complicated psychology is glossed over in the introduction to the Penguin edition I read, which wants to see WILLIAMS almost purely in political terms, but I think it's the psychology, not Godwin's notions of how society and individuals relate to each other, that will appeal to most modern readers.WILLIAMS also seems to be the source of many standard crime novel tropes: from detection (both amateur and professional), to "man on the run", to paranoia and consipiracies, to the shifting, murky status between "cops" and "crooks", to a rather noirish depiction of society in general as being fatally flawed.While I think the intro to the edition I read overemphasizes the least interesting aspects of the book, it is true that Godwin’s intention was to dramatize his beliefs about the individual and society – it’s an “idea book”, whatever else it also is. As such it has the typical flaws of “idea books”, which is that whenever push comes to shove the ideas take precedence over the narrative drive. This becomes especially noticeable in the third part, where after a while the situation becomes stable in a way: Williams cannot be brought to resolution; he will neither be fully punished by his former master nor allowed to roam free. This is a provocative idea, and Godwin fully explores it – but nothing really happens to develop it, either. Williams doesn’t really grow or change or develop after a certain space – he’s just stuck in this rut. Which I understand is exactly the point – I’m just saying it doesn’t make for very thrilling reading. Ultimately I think volume three could’ve been shortened with no real loss of narrative drive and frankly no real loss of Godwin’s point. (This is why I prefer the published ending to the alternative ending, available here in an Appendice. The published ending actually resolves the narrative in interesting ways, whereas the unpublished ending leaves us in stasis – a dramatic kind of stasis, but stasis nonetheless.)All that said, there’s so much to admire here it’s easy to enthusiastically recommend this. So much of what we take for granted in the crime fiction genre is to be found in an embryonic state here. And for a didactic novelist Godwin is quite fine at delineating gradations of character, from the bully who’s more dependent on social approval than he realizes, to the man whose very best qualities ultimately damn him, to the casual brutality of state functionaries

One of the most fascinating novels I ever read.

It’s too bad this book is not more recognized as a classic in literature. Caleb Williams, as other reviewers have mentioned, is not only an adventure, mystery, suspense and social commentary and critique on human abuses, but is also a lesson in vocabulary (so you might want to have your dictionary close by). It is a difficult work to simply classify, however, because it encompasses many other elements as well.The basis for the book’s major conflict comes when Williams suspects that his employer, Ferdinando Falkland, could be guilty of murdering one of the men in the village. Despite acting loyal to the requests of Falkland, Williams soon becomes the target of many forms of injustice through the hands of his employer.I’ll be the first to admit that the part 1 of this novel is rather slow and tedious and honestly I felt like much of this exposition was unnecessary to parts two and three. But, I’m glad I stuck with this book, as I felt it was a much rewarding experience later in the book when things sort of take off, and an impressive read once we hit part 2, where our main protagonist begins to do some snooping around into Falkland.This novel works on many levels, one being that it becomes a cautionary tale about the handling of justice, or lack thereof, in the face of society. There is a deeply rich and symbolic meaning within the framework of the plot, themes and characters, as Godwin wrote this book as means of criticizing the abuses of power by those with higher social status.I think many modern readers might be put off as it does take some time to get into Caleb Williams, but I found this novel to be quite a rewarding reading experience by the end and I was glad I found this book.

William Godwin's political novel is a mix of interesting and deadly boring. While the drama of the novel makes for a good storyline, the execution detracts from what would otherwise be a fantastic novel by today's standards. If you think of a lovechild between The Count of Monte Cristo and Nyquil, that would be this book. Read it if you've got insomnia; it's just as helpful as sleeping pills, without the chance of addiction. Negative chance of addiction, really.

I could not put this book down. This is a classic and it should be read more often. I only read this because I wanted to do a study of Godwin's daughter, Mary Shelley. I was surprised at how involved I got in this. I also read a couple of things by Mary's mother, Mary Woolstonecraft and found those overwritten and overly opinionated with an extreme hatred for men. This is also very opinionated, but prison reform and human liberty are championed here and the book is much more readable.This Penguin edition has excellent notes and intro.

The real question is who committed the crime and who is being punished. This novel is proof to the old saying that the more things change the more they stay the same. The powerful bring down the less powerful then as now. This strongly written novel should be mandatory reading, particularly those interested in writers such as Poe and Dickens. Godwin had great influence on their later writings and was instrumental in the evolution of modern day mysteries and detective stories.

Love this book! The language takes some getting used to because its older english, but once you get into it this is a fascinating story with great themes of freedom, adventure, power, and storytelling. Caleb is an interesting character, and the book leaves you wondering at the end if everything he wrote is true or not.

This e-book has poor grammar and it seems like it was translated out of English and then back into English again. I am very disappointed that this isn't just the accurate text. For example - "I couldn't relaxation" instead of "I couldn't relax" and sentences such as this occur frequently.

英文の難解な内容で、まだ読み切っておれません。ここまで書いても、送信できません。

Ich musste das Buch im Rahmen eines Literaturseminars an der Universität lesen. Ich muss sagen, dass es, obwohl ich Pflichtlektüren meistens nicht gerne lese, durchaus angenehm war zum lesen und recht spannend. Für alle Studenten, die überlegen darüber eine Hausarbeit zu verfassen, kann ich das Buch nur empfehlen. Es bietet sehr viel geschichtlichen und politischen Hintergrund und lässt sich im Rahmen einer Seminararbeit gut verwenden.

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.

A fascinating novel, way ahead of its time, described by some as Kafkaesque for its portrayal of relentless, pointless persecution. Godwin was a leading Libertarian thinker, a forerunner of the Anarchist movement, though he would never have used the word, and there are plenty of anarchist references through the text. A delightful read, both for the stylish use of English and the historical context.