Caleb Williams: Or, Things as They Are (Penguin Classics)

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.

• Revised introduction examines Godwin's background of religious dissent, the literary and political climate of his times, and his belief in "philosophical anarchism"

• Includes a chronology, updated further reading, appendices, and notes