Adventures of Caleb Williams
by William Godwin, Pamela Clemit
Category: Fiction

He appears to be persecutor and I the persecuted: is not this difference the mere creature of the imagination?'Young Caleb is a guileless servant who enters the employment of the charismatic Ferdinando Falkland. Falkland, an apparently cosmopolitan and benevolent country squire, is subject to unexplained melancholy, and Caleb becomes convinced that he harbours a dark secret. His discovery of the truth leads to falseaccusations against him, and an unremitting and vengeful persecution as suspenseful as any thriller.The novel is also a powerful political allegory, inspired by Godwin's passionately held beliefsconcerning social justice in the decade following the French Revolution. This new edition reproduces the original novel of 1794, which captures the raw indignation and injustice felt by victims of British law. It also includes the startlingly different manuscript ending, and selected variants from later editions reflecting changes in Godwin's philosophical thinking.