Caleb Williams

E643311

Caleb Williams is the inquisitive and morally driven protagonist of William Godwin’s 1794 novel, whose pursuit of truth entangles him in a harrowing conflict with his powerful employer.

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Statements (42)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
novel protagonist
appearsInWork Caleb Williams NERFINISHED
Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams NERFINISHED
associatedWithAuthorMovement English radicalism
associatedWithPhilosophy radical political philosophy
centralConflict persecution by a powerful aristocrat
pursuit of truth about his employer
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
createdBy William Godwin NERFINISHED
employer Ferdinando Falkland NERFINISHED
firstAppearanceDate 1794
genreContext Gothic fiction
political novel
hasMoralConcern integrity
justice
truth
hasTrait curious
idealistic
inquisitive
intelligent
morally driven
persevering
truth-seeking
isPursuedBy legal authorities
isSubjectOf Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams NERFINISHED
languageOfWork English
literaryPeriod Romantic era
literarySignificance early example of the political novel in English literature
narrativeFunction vehicle for social critique
narrativeRole first-person narrator
occupation secretary
opposes Ferdinando Falkland NERFINISHED
setIn 18th-century England
suffersFrom false accusations
persecution
themeInvolvement abuse of power
individual versus authority
justice and injustice
political oppression
surveillance and control

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.