Cover of Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams

by William Godwin

Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"Caleb Williams; Or, Things as They Are" by William Godwin is a three-volume novel published in 1794. A humble young man enters service with the wealthy Ferdinando Falkland, whose volatile temperament conceals a dark secret. When Caleb's curiosity leads him to uncover his master's guilt in a past murder, he becomes trapped in a desperate game of pursuit and persecution. This gripping tale exposes how power and institutions destroy innocent lives, offering a scathing critique of tyrannical justice in Godwin's England.

  • Didactic fiction
  • England
  • Bildungsromans
  • Young men
  • Murderers
  • False imprisonment

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #11323. Caleb Williams on Wikipedia.

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