Far from the Madding Crowd -No Spoilers Revisit Read

[Heather L]

I started this one a few years ago and only made it halfway before setting it aside. I intended to get back to it, but though I managed another chapter or two, I still haven’t finished it. Hopefully this year! I do not plan on restarting it as I don’t believe I’ve missed anything, but will pick up where I left off.

[Natalie]

I'll have to think about this one. I was tortured with Tess of the d'Ubervilles in high school when my AP Lit teacher spent FOUR MONTHS talking about it. Tess has been on my top five most loathed books of all time since then and I've steered clear of Hardy.

(And yes, I transferred out of that class at the semester and still passed the AP Lit test at the end of the year.)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Natalie, I can never understand why it is always Tess that they throw at high school students. IMHO, it is not the right choice for that time in life. I adore Hardy (perhaps even more than Dickens), so I hope you will give him another try.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Long ago, in the 1980s, I took essentially a "gap year" although we had never heard the term. I graduated from a 4 year college, moved to the location where I would go to graduate school but spent a year waitressing before starting my classes - I was establishing in-state residency for reduced tuition. During that gap year, 1984-1985, I read 3 Tolstoy novels, 2 Hardy, the first six books in the Dune series, 4 H. G. Wells novels, and several Mary Stewart novels. I think I have read Far From the Madding Crowd but it blurs together with the others. Also with Tolstoy I read War and Peace and Anna Karenina back to back. The two books are just one really long blur of lots and lots of Russian names I cannot remember. LOL Perhaps reading through the discussions I can try to jog my memories enough to remember this book. I do know I loved Hardy at the time.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

One thing repeated in the 2016 comments in this thread is that the editions members were reading had introductions that gave away the plots. So beware if your edition has an introduction!

[Michaela]

I loved this one when I read it in 2020, and there´s also a good film from 2015. It´s much better than Tess of the d´Urbervilles imo.

[Greg]

Sara and Lynn, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of my favorites (as is Hardy)! Though I read it for pleasure long after high school. :)

[Heather L]

Lynn wrote: "One thing repeated in the 2016 comments in this thread is that the editions members were reading had introductions that gave away the plots. So beware if your edition has an introduction!"

This is why I never read the introduction until after I’ve read the book. Introductions too often assume readers are already familiar with the book and are notorious for spoiling the plot.

[Heather L]

Natalie, I had a teacher much like yours, except with our class it was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was the first book read junior year of high school and the book to which every subsequent work was compared. Needless to say, the majority of the class hated it. I was not looking forward to rereading it four years later for an American lit class in college, but it’s an amazing difference what some time and a change in instructors can make. I actually liked it the second time through.

[Natalie]

Alright, you've all convinced me! I'll give it a try! (But I'm not going to promise that I'll finish it! I'm still a bit sketch. ;) It's fun reading how different books resonate with people.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Five years ago this became my first Hardy read, 4.5 stars. Since then Hardy has become a favorite, reading one per year since, God I wish I could read faster.

[Greg]

Bob wrote: "Five years ago this became my first Hardy read, 4.5 stars. Since then Hardy has become a favorite, reading one per year since, God I wish I could read faster."

I wish I read faster too Bob!

I've only read Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Return of the Native, and some of his poetry so far, but I already consider Hardy a favorite. Eventually, I hope to have read all his works!

[Michaela]

A favourite of mine too, but there could be more novels imo. :) I´ll have to look after his poetry and short stories though.

[Alexw]

Have read Tess and Jude the Obscure (horribly depressing) by Hardy and looking forward to a spirted discussion in May.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Our group member Summer posted the following very good question in the Chit Chat section. I am reposting it here:


Hi! I have a question regarding picking an edition of the text please.

I have two editions of Far From The Madding Crowd and I realised one is the first edition (1874), and one is the heavily revised edition (1895 - revised by Hardy).

Now I'm confused which edition would be the 'better' one to read? I'm sure plot wise there's not a major difference but a quick comparison shows there has been lots of little edits throughout (word emissions, additions and rephrasing).

By better I mean more authentic... I feel like the first edition, but then maybe the revised is the one Hardy would intend?

Any thoughts welcome please!

It did also get me thinking on how it is often the case that there are revised editions for classics - I feel like the editions we typically read are the revised/most recent?

reply | delete | flag *

[Lynn, New School Classics]

My edition is a hardback single book from the "International Collectors Library". I bought it in the 1980s as a used book somewhere, who remembers where? My copy has a Preface letter from T. H. - I assume Thomas Hardy with the dates 1895-1902.

The opening lines of the letter say:

"In reprinting this story for a new edition I am reminded that it was in the chapters of 'Far from the Madding Crowd,' as they appeared month by month in a popular magazine, that I first ventured to adopt the word 'Wessex' from the pages of early English history, and give it a fictitious significance as the existing name of the district once included in that extinct kingdom."

>> So I can understand if a novel that appeared in monthly editions was turned into a novel, that the author might want to make some final revisions. I guess that more exposition is required in the monthly format.

[Heather L]

I generally don’t worry about what edition I have; I read what I have or am able to lay hands on. That being said, I have an Arcturus edition of FFTMC with the same author’s preface as Lynn and a one-page, spoiler-free introduction. And, like Lynn, if a book originally appeared in serial form, I can understand the author wanting to make a few edits and, being by the author himself, does not bother me.

[Natalie]

Great information! Thank you for sharing.

[LiLi]

Looking forward to this one. I've read _Mayor of Casterbridge_ and _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_ , and I think Hardy is brilliant.

[Darrell]

hardy is as good as it gets.. mayor of casterdridge is top ten on my list.. and definetly should be on top 100 list of all time..

[Darrell]

casterbridge lol

[Francis]

When are y'all starting this book?

[LiLi]

Isn't it the book of the month for May? I was planning to start then.

[Michaela]

LiLi wrote: "Isn't it the book of the month for May? I was planning to start then."

It is, yes.

[Joe]

Count me in on this one. I’ve got a copy of the Wordsworth classics issue that’s been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read since 1995!

[LiLi]

Lol, Joe, I have several books like that! :D

[Anjali]

I have been meaning to read this one for a long time. I'll probably join for the next month's read.

[Angie]

One of my all-time favorite books. Very memorable characters.

[LiLi]

I'm starting late. Had an inevitable delay that caused me to finish _Villlette_ late.

[Ian]

im currently reading this one but my reading has become very very slow as a lot going on. I need to get stuck into it.

[Lori]

I feel the same Ian. I’m 120 pages in and life is getting in the way. I am enjoying the read so far and would love some time to get a chunk completed.

[LiLi]

I've sort of had a hard time getting started, but the writing is incredible!

[Jenna]

I'm listening to it on audio book and I love it. I just wish I could remember at what point I fell asleep the night before so I knew where to pick up again haha

[LiLi]

Oh no, Jenna!

I'm impressed you can do it as an audiobook. I think I must have had to look up 25+ words/references so far. There's a lot I don't know! Haha :D

[Heather L]

Jenna — Oops! That’s the top reason I don’t listen to many audiobooks and especially not in bed.

I listened to the first thirteen chapters this afternoon. I managed to get about halfway through a print copy a few years ago before setting it aside and never got back to it. I didn’t feel like starting it over, so decided to listen to it while doing other things. The plan is to switch back to the printed book once I catch up to where I left off, but might continue listening while reading. Time will tell, lol.

[Ian]

I'm flying through it now sat at home. I'm hoping farmer Oak has more luck than the mayor of caster bridge. I have a feeling things will go well for this guy.

[Summer]

I've only just seen this but thank you for addressing my question!

I think I'm going to read the latest edition, I agree it makes sense that if it moved from a monthly serial you would need less exposition.
I just read a previously serialised novel and kept track of the chapters that were released separately and I could tell how there was a new introductory style exposition at the start of every other chapter (Dickens).