Margery Two-Shoes

Margery Two-Shoes is the central character of The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, an 18th-century children’s story often associated with the rise of the English novel for young readers. In the book, Margery begins in deep poverty, wins admiration for her goodness and determination, and gradually builds a better life through education, kindness, and perseverance.

Although she is sometimes treated almost like a real historical figure in popular memory, Margery Two-Shoes is a fictional character. The story was long linked to publisher John Newbery, and modern scholarship often discusses it in connection with Oliver Goldsmith as well, though authorship has been debated.

What made Margery last was not just the plot, but the idea behind her: that reading, self-improvement, and decency could change a life. Her nickname, earned from finally owning a complete pair of shoes, became so famous that “goody two-shoes” entered the language as a phrase for someone seen as overly virtuous or self-righteous.