My theory is that Goldsmith started this out as a satire but (1) fell in love with Primrose’s moral vigour and (2) wanted it to be marketable by imitating the success of the religious novels. The fact that he editted this multiple times post-publication allowed these contraditions to mess the novel up a tad. Sir Thornhill is my evidence for this claim, as he is set up to be the future of Primrose.

Still a sucker for a feel-good story, though.