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"Far From the Madding Crowd" Part 6: Chapters LXVIII-LVIL
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Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.)
(last edited Aug 03, 2010 09:44PM)
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Jul 30, 2010 11:51AM
This is the thread that has been created for discussion of the last part (Part 6, and Week 6) of Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd." Be aware that you may encounter SPOILERS in this discussion thread if you are still reading in the preceding section(s).
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Part 6??? I thought we don't start until tomorrow?
Perhaps Christopher is a Boy Scout and is Being Prepared:).
I guess in a way time is the enemy of all of the characters.(as it is to all of us) It, in a figurative way, betrays Troy when Bathsheba catches a look at the blond lock of hair concealed in his pocket watch.If Gabriel does not come in time the sheep will all die. The duration of time that Troy waits bride less at the altar seems a very important point of that chapter and makes his temper boil over and loses for him the woman he loves. The time Boldwood is willing to wait for Bathsheba is important to the obsessive nature of his love. The amount of time Troy stayed dead is another dramatic point of the tale for it allows Bathsheba to move on. Waiting seven years for Troy to be declared dead will alter her life once again.
This is a story of time really. It is not a story of minutes, a day or even a month, but more of the movement of time through a cycle of youth to that of maturity, cognizance, and the growing awareness that life moves on and things happen that effect the years of one's existence. It is the lesson of all our lives too, time is the great leveler of our existence.
Marialyce wrote: "I guess in a way time is the enemy of all of the characters.(as it is to all of us) It, in a figurative way, betrays Troy when Bathsheba catches a look at the blond lock of hair concealed in his po..."Thank you so much, Marialyce, for your comments, and timeliness in shifting this posting. ;-)
The above was a response to the question of time developed in an earlier thread.
So true Marialyce, I am noticing more and more references to time as I read on - this novel does largely feature the passing of time, the biding of time, wanting more time etc and it is symbolised in many different ways throughout.This is in part why it is good for me to be reading this book within this group because as obvious though it now seems I'm not sure it would've occured to me if reading alone!
Em: Kathy made some nice detailed references to time and time pieces in her post No 87 in Part 3, which you may like to read.
Thanks, I have read those comments as well, very interesting!
SPOILER FOR TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLESI'm noting that Hardy is using similar plot elements here that he uses in Tess: husband (Troy/Angel) leaves main protagonist (Bathsheba/Tess) for a distant shore (America/Brazil), leaving her in a limbo. Meanwhile, an old lover/suitor (Boldwood/Alec) returns to get her back. The denouement is totally different, though.
Yes, he does tend to use elements from his old plots. I suppose they were successful formulae so he thought they were worth keeping. His plots have been called 'contrived'. FFTMC was the first of his novels to receive critical acclaim and the early serialisation of the novel supposedly accounted for the melodramatic nature of some of the scenes at a time when melodrama was popular and 'cliff-hangers' in serials were de rigeur. Rosemarie Morgan writes : 'the longer more formal narrative structure...is frequently strained by the extravaganza of melodrama; genre crossing is put severely to the test when the plausible, psychologically realistic drama is suddenly arrested by the interventions of totally implausible melodrama.
SPOILER FFTMC Morgan goes on to say that 'Hardy risks this strain when Troy comes bursting into a Christmas party disguised as a hoodlum [read Chapter 53:]...the scene is no longer a melodrama but a tragedy.'
There are certainly a few scenes like this in the novel but I have put them down to melodrama being a popular genre with Victorians, both in literature and on the stage. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was published in 1818 and gothic novels were still popular. Hardy was no doubt pandering to the taste of his readers, particularly to the taste of women who bought such novels and serials in large quantities.
I've just noticed that the thread heading to these chapters is wrong and that it should read PART 5 XXXIX - LVII (39 - 57), so the above isn't really a spoiler unless you haven't reached Chap 53!(I am going to post something about Chapter 47 Adventures by the Shore in the Background Information thread.)
Everyman: Now that we are nearing the end of FFTMC and as we are discussing Oresteia next in the Western Canon group and in that there will be, of course, a traditional Greek Chorus, I wonder if you would like to comment on the Greek chorus element in FFTMC which is considered by some to have the best fleshed out 'chorus' in Hardy's novels. Critics generally feel that Hardy intends the rustics in his novels to be 'taken as the 'symbol of the great majority of humdrum mortals', a chorus in the original Greek sense that "gives the reader a standard of normality by which he can gauge the heights and depths to which the main characters rise and fall". Do you think this works in FFTMC? In Thomas Hardy by Lance St John Butler, the author writes: 'In discussing Far from the Madding Crowd I have said little about the 'rustic chorus' (Poorgrass, Coggan, Fraye and the others) which contributes enormously to the novel's accessibility. This group provides the humour and the "humanity" of the book - one thinks of Poorgrass' difficulty in finding Ephesians in the Bible obstinately full of Colossians - and it fulfils with irony, of course, the commentatorial function of the Greek Chorus - one can ponder the significance, for example, of Poorgrass being given the last word in the novel. Hardy had been advised that his forte was rural description and character, and these homely characters come to life to prove it. More importantly, they provide a living continuity that is not merely a 'background'; to the main action but is integrated into it, as the analysis of the procession of the seasons has shown. None of the later novels has so large or so active a 'chorus' as Far from the Madding Crowd. [In his later novels:] Hardy seems to have less time for the large leisurely groups of rustics and their simple humour. There is far more concentration on, say, Tess herself, than there was on Henchard [Return of the Native:] and more on Henchard than there was on Bathsheba....To put it simply in FFMTC we have a mixture of individuals, chorus and environment. In Return of the Native the chorus element in the mixture shows signs of weakening, while the environmental element is strengthened.'
Perhaps those who have recently read Return of the Native could comment on this comparison with FFTMC?
I like this description of The Chorus in Literature:-'The Chorus rejoices in the triumph of good; it wails aloud its grief, and sympathises with the woe of the puppets of the gods. It enters deeply into the interest of their fortunes and misfortunes, yet it stands apart, outside of triumph and failure. No gladness drags it into the actual action on the stage, and no catastrophe overwhelms it, except in storm of sympathetic pain. It is the ideal spectator, the soul being purged, as Aristotle expressed it, by Pity and Fear, flinging its song and its cry among the passions and the pain of others. It is the "Vox Humana" amid the storm and thunder of the gods.'
I think the "chorus" characters also call attention to the fact that perspective is important in this novel. One has to infer from limited information, and sometimes the inferences are wrong. For example, when B. meets Troy and whispers about a meeting in her house at night, I assumed the "worst," that she was having an illicit sexual relationship with him. The chorus is wrong sometimes, but they are usually going on pretty clear circumstantial evidence, so it's hard to blame them for it. We're all sort of "in the dark" some of the time in this novel. I enjoyed the dramatic elements of the novel. I grew up on a farm and I feel like Hardy doesn't really overdramatize the triumphs and miseries of dealing with crops and livestock. I remember one of the three or four times I ever saw my mother actually weep was when some lovely heifers got into a field of alfalfa and died of bloat before it was discovered. It was a real tragedy not only from a financial standpoint, but just from the waste of that beauty and potential, like Gabriel feels when he looks at the uncovered grain. I think it's a good portrayal of the feelings of farmers.
Lovely insightful and personal post Andrea - how did you feel when you read about the bloat that Bathsheba's sheep got earlier in the novel?
A migrane has just stopped me reading for the last two days - thank goodness I feel better today. I totally agree Andrea, there are many times in reading FFTMC that either ourselves as the reader or otherwise the characters within the novel are not privy to the full facts of a situation and so have to come to our own conclusion - not always the correct one! It's good to hear your point of view as someone who grew up on a farm - I am born and bred in the city, so it is honestly a lifestyle of which I've had little experience.
So sorry to hear about your migraine Em - nasty things:(:(
Awful things - glad I don't get too many! Made up for lost time today and finished the book this evening whilst baby sitting for my friends 4 kids, all sleeping soundly! Bless!
MadgeUK wrote: "Everyman: Now that we are nearing the end of FFTMC and as we are discussing Oresteia next in the Western Canon group and in that there will be, of course, a traditional Greek Chorus, I wonder if yo..."In "The Return of the Native" there is a pretty active chorus of the rustics too. Perhaps not as 'robust' as that throughout FFTMC. For example, remember the Guy Fawkes Night celebration on the summit of Rainbarrow; and then the Christmas Eve party at Mrs. Yeobright's; and then several instances of gatherings at Wildeve's 'The Quiet Woman Inn.'
I think it is an excellent observation that in his later novels he tends to rely less and less on the use of the chorus of rustics. Hardy was acutely aware of the five-part Greek tragedy and the use of the chorus, and one can see his literary 'nod' to that ancient tradition in his writing.
Christopher wrote: 'Hardy was acutely aware of the five-part Green tragedy and the use of the chorus...'Yes, one of the reasons that the books of some authors become classics and others don't is because of the several 'nods' they give to past writers, especially the Greeks, upon which the 'Western Canon' is based. These nods may be subliminal and classic novels can be read without paying any attention to them whatsoever but I like to look for them and acknowledge them when I can. As Isaac Newton said 'If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.'
In my edition of FFTMC there are 198 Notes, most of which are about the classical and biblical allusions Hardy used. I would hate to think of him turning in his grave because I did not acknowledge the effort he went to in order to make what is ostensibly a simple love story, even more interesting and worthwhile:).
MadgeUK wrote: "Christopher wrote: 'Hardy was acutely aware of the five-part Green tragedy and the use of the chorus...'Yes, one of the reasons that the books of some authors become classics and others don't is ..."
'Amen' to that! I couldn't agree more.
These authors, Hardy included, have put their hearts and souls into crafting these exquisite works of art, the least we can do is read them with an attention to detail, and make an effort to fully comprehend the author's full intent. Of course, this is just my humble opinion.
I agree, it's great that a person can read a book such as this and pay detailed attention to the classical and biblical references etc. but I also think that it's great that people quite simply continue to read them (on what ever basis they chose.) I have an interest in some of the references and have been flicking to the back of my book to find out what they're all about although some of them go over my head. The discussions here have been interesting and helpful, it's been good to see how others interpret events and characters but what pleased me the most is how engaging, entertaining and enjoyable I found this book!
As you say, Em, it is good that people can either pay attention to the various references or just read them from whatever p.o.v. they choose. That is the beauty of a discussion with lots of different people - some delve and some don't:). It is great that you have enjoyed the book. Indeed, I find it great that people still read books at all considering all the other distractions they now have! :). (It was good to read from your profile that you are encouraging your children to read early because we sometimes get the erroneous impression, from the media, that all children want to do nowadays is to play computer games or watch TV.)
Well, they like those things too but I TRY to encourage a balance! Luckily they do enjoy their books and can read (fairly) independently now, but I still use a book at bedtime to revisit some of my old favourites from when I was little!It was interesting that a few of my friends who enjoy reading and love things like Jane Austen or the Brontes still seemed to think that Hardy was a difficult read and to some extent until I read Jude the Obscure - I did too! I've been recommending him to everyone of late!
MadgeUK wrote: "As you say, Em, it is good that people can either pay attention to the various references or just read them from whatever p.o.v. they choose. That is the beauty of a discussion with lots of differe..."I'm trying to do the same with my kids. It's not easy, with all the electronic distractions, but I think my 7 year old is starting to enjoy books. Her older brother reads nothing but comics, though.
I know I'm off topic (sorry, I'll be quick!) I think reading comics is a great way for kids to still read but not be so daunted by a page of printed word. I saw a childrens author - Anthony Horowitz I think, who himself used to read comics/graphic novels etc as youngster and since he's now a very successful writer I think we can assume it's not a bad thing!
Em wrote: "I know I'm off topic (sorry, I'll be quick!) I think reading comics is a great way for kids to still read but not be so daunted by a page of printed word. I saw a childrens author - [author:Anthon..."Nothing wrong with comics --- I grew up reading them. But I wish that he'd also read books that are not comics. ;)
I am completely enjoying the discussion here--the interesting comments on the use of time and the rustic chorus are just great!Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed FFTMC. I thought the unpredictable plot point of Boldwood's murder of Troy leading to Gabriel and Bathsheba's long-awaited marriage was a satisfying ending. I am definitely going to have to read more Hardy sooner rather than later. :)
Rachel wrote: "I am completely enjoying the discussion here--the interesting comments on the use of time and the rustic chorus are just great!Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed FFTMC. I thought the unpredictable plo..."
Rachel, that is terrific! I am very glad that you enjoyed the novel. I highly recommend that you read some of Hardy's other novels, his brilliant short stories, and his truly amazing poetry. Hardy is quite simply a paradox--an amazingly accomplished Victorian author, and one of the truly great poets of the 20th century! Cheers! Chris
Although we are not quite, officially, at the time for discussion of Part VI, because things have been so quiet and because there is so much to talk about concerning not only the final chapters but the book as a whole, I thought it might not be too offensive to say a few things now.I have read FFTMC several times, and especially during this read I was disappointed in the outcome of the novel. It has had so much emotional power throughout that the final events seem contrived and unnatural.
Hardy is known for his belief in the power of fate, but the fate he believes in generally isn't benevolent and kindly, as the fate here seems to be when it spares Boldwood the noose and brings Bathsheba and Gabriel together at the last moment.
A few questions.
Do you think the ending was a fitting culmination of the novel, or a let down?
Did Troy deserve to die shot to death like a dog?
Was Boldwood an honorable, passionate, and devoted lover, or was he deranged and unbalanced? Is this a great love in the tradition of all the great loves of literature, or was it something sick?
If the latter, would this aspect of him have remained forever hidden if Bathsheba hadn't sent the valentine, or is it likely that some other event would have triggered his passion?
It seems to me that Gabriel started to love Bathsheba before he knew anything about her -- just from seeing her in the wagon and on horseback. Is he really in love with Bathsheba the person, or is he in love with Bathsheba the idea?
Will Bathsheba ever "get over" Troy, or will his memory haunt her marriage to Gabriel forever?
These are some of the questions that have come to my mind, that I haven't yet answered to my own satisfaction.
We see love (or perhaps in some cases desire or lust) in many forms in this novel. Gabriel for Bathsheba.
Bathsheba for Gabriel (perhaps).
Boldwood for Bathsheba.
(But never Bathsheba for Boldwood?)
Troy for Bathsheba.
Bathsheba for Troy.
Fanny for Troy.
Troy for Fanny.
And, of course, :aban and Susan Tall
Very few, if indeed any, of these seem to me healthy, or representative of what the ideal of Victorian love should be. Is Hardy telling us something here, and if so what?
In response to your questions, Everyman, I'll take 'em on in order:1. Do you think the ending was a fitting culmination of the novel, or a let down? I would agree that it felt a bit contrived. Hardy did a similar thing with the sixth, and final, part of The Return of the Native, entitled "Aftercourses." At least there he was brutally honest (in a footnote) and explained while it was not the ending he intended for the novel, it was what his editors required for serialization. I have to think that something similar was in play here too.
My idea of the 'true' Hardy ending--
Troy shot, and Bathsheba widowed;
Boldwood hanged; and
Gabriel emigrates to California.
2. Did Troy deserve to die shot to death like a dog? No, of course not; but it happens all of the time. Boldwood was crazy (maybe manic-depressive?). Crazy people (and some sane people) commit homicide.
3. Was Boldwood an honorable, passionate, and devoted lover, or was he deranged and unbalanced? Is this a great love in the tradition of all the great loves of literature, or was it something sick? See answer to No. 2. Also, I believe that while Boldwood believed that he was honorable, passionate, and devoted, and he was all of those things to some degree, it was the fragility of his mental health that drove him (like Gabriel's sheep) over the cliff. I think Boldwood was a pretty sick man. Collecting and storing clothes for Bathsheba years in advance is more than a little creepy.
4. If the latter, would this aspect of him have remained forever hidden if Bathsheba hadn't sent the valentine, or is it likely that some other event would have triggered his passion? I am no clinician, but one could expect that something else probably would have eventually driven him over the edge.
5. It seems to me that Gabriel started to love Bathsheba before he knew anything about her -- just from seeing her in the wagon and on horseback. Is he really in love with Bathsheba the person, or is he in love with Bathsheba the idea? I believe that it was the Shelleyan ideal that drove Gabriel's feelings and actions early on in the novel. See Shelley's great poem Epipsychidion. Hardy touches on the Shelleyan ideal and pursuit of Love in just about every one of his novels (e.g., Damon Wildeve in TROTN, and Dr. Fitzpiers in "The Woodlanders" and Sue Bridehead, from a slightly different perspective in "Jude the Obscure").
6. Will Bathsheba ever "get over" Troy, or will his memory haunt her marriage to Gabriel forever? We'll never know will we? I don't know, in essence Troy 'married' Fanny Robin for life the day he buried her in the churchyard and did all of gardening. One could look at Bathsheba burying him in that grave with her as cutting the 'Gordian' knot, eh?
Good questions, Everyman! While I very much love FFTMC, I still consider "The Return of the Native," "The Woodlanders," "Tess of the d'Urbervilles," and "Jude the Obscure" to be near the pinnacle of his fiction, with the last two being masterpieces.
Finally, I want to personally thank you for all of the superb information and stimulating discussion that you have provided, time and time again, during the course of this group-read. I also want to personally apologize to you for any part that I may have had in this group becoming seriously bolloxed up. Cheers!
Perhaps, Hardy is saying that there is no perfect match that exists in human nature. We are always on the lookout for what constitutes perfection in our lives, our loves, our homes, our children, that I think Hardy is trying to show us that there is no such thing.Was I disappointed in the ending? No, I was perfectly happy to see Bathsheba wind up with Gabriel. Wasn't that the perfect(?) match?
As far as Bathsheba forgetting Troy, I think she had already forgotten him by the time he turned up alive in the novel. He was the "one who had escaped" her charms. Although frustrating to her, I think she just had one of those "oh well" feelings and was able to move on. She certainly didn't like losing, but was finally mature enough to realize that perhaps some things were better lost.
Is Gabriel truly "in love" with Bathsheba? I think yes, in the possession kind of way initially. Later he moves on to wanting her happiness and is willing to take second place to others to see that Bathsheba is happy. Isn't that the sign of true love, when you put the loved one desires above your own?
As for the Valentine... I still think that was a whimsical thing for Bathsheba to do. If she thought of the consequences, she probably would not have done that. It did start a whole chain of events that raced out of her control didn't it?
Troy, as obnoxious as he was portrayed, did not deserve to die but he did push the buttons didn't he? No one deserves to die, but some people seem to look at that as a idea that will never touch them. I think Troy was one of them. He never realized the consequences of his actions and was probably taken totally unawares when Boldwood shot him.
I still think Boldwood was Hardy's example of a truly possessed man. He presented him like an inexperienced adolescent who is experiencing his first crush. It was this character that I had the least compassion for.
Everyman wrote: "We see love (or perhaps in some cases desire or lust) in many forms in this novel. Gabriel for Bathsheba.
Bathsheba for Gabriel (perhaps).
Boldwood for Bathsheba.
(But never Bathsheba for Boldwoo..."
Can't disagree at all, Everyman. Having read both Millgate's and Tomalin's biographies of Hardy, I'm inclined to 'see' a lot of Hardy's own relationship in these, as well as his assessment of the marriages and relationships among his relatives and friends. Hardy was a great observer, and tended to take notes on what he heard or saw around him; much of this material was then incorporated in his fiction and poetry.
Christopher wrote: "In response to your questions, Everyman, I'll take 'em on in order:.."Good answers. I mostly agree with you, but I don't think Bathsheba was over Troy. I think she'll settle down to be a dutiful farmer's wife for Gabriel, but I think in the back of her mind, still, she'll always have Paris.
Interesting that you mention "it was the fragility of his mental health that drove him (like Gabriel's sheep) over the cliff." It was death in the first place that took Gabriel out of his old life to wander the country and wind up at Bathsheba's farm, and death at the end that allowed he and Bathsheba eventually to be free to marry. That hadn't occurred to me before; perhaps in this novel the hand of fate is that out of death there is life?
I agree with you that Tess and Jude are greater novels than Madding, though I think they're all quality novels. But I realize that either I've never read the Woodlanders, or I read it so long ago that I have totally forgotten it. I see that I'll have to go back and pull it off the shelves.
Finally, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for in moderating this book; quite the opposite. Your knowledge of and passion for Hardy made the discussion excellent and highly enjoyable. Any momentary hump that lay in your path was minor, and you handled it just fine. There may be others who owe you apologies, but the reverse, not at all.
You've shown your capabilities so well that I'm surprised that Boof and Paula haven't persuaded you to take over as one of the group moderators yet. But maybe they're working on it behind the scenes.
Marialyce wrote: "I still think Boldwood was Hardy's example of a truly possessed man. He presented him like an inexperienced adolescent who is experiencing his first crush. It was this character that I had the least compassion for. "Possessed, yes. Not for me, though, like and adolescent; adolescents get over their crushes relatively painlessly, though at the time they never believe they will. But a love that will wait for seven years to be fulfilled is more than a crush, IMO. As I see him, he was a middle aged man who, after a lifetime of indifference to the female gender, suddenly became inflamed with a love that kept burning on and on and on. On his side, I think it was the real thing. It's just too bad for him that Bathsheba, having aroused his passion, couldn't appreciate or reciprocate it.
Seven years is a heck of a long time to wait for a dream to come true. It's no wonder that when, just as he had finally attained his goal and his long, long wait was at last justified and the promise granted, Troy showed up and in just moments destroyed everything, he snapped and killed this monster who had snatched the long-awaited cup of joy from his lips.
I don't particularly like him, but I do have enormous compassion for him. I can't imagine the kind of love that will wait quietly and patiently, unfulfilled for seven years. And even more I can't imagine what it would be like to have that which you have so long longed for finally won, only to have it taken from you by someone who as a human being isn't worthy even to black your boots.
Compassion for him? Oh, yes.
Everyman wrote: "Marialyce wrote: "I still think Boldwood was Hardy's example of a truly possessed man. He presented him like an inexperienced adolescent who is experiencing his first crush. It was this character t..."Well said, well said!
It had to have been the supreme agony for Boldwood; as though a bomb had gone off in his heart when Troy attempted to take Bathsheba home.
Well, I have to say, Everyman that I felt Boldwood was out of control with his emotions and love (?) for Bathsheba. I can't help thinking that a man in his forties, no matter how inexperienced he was in matters relating to the heart, would have had a better understanding of himself and his heart. He scared me as I am sure he scared Bathsheba. Waiting seven years for someone who obviously was not falling into your arms or your charms was to me the sign of an unbalanced creature. I really don't think Bathsheba even after seven years would have married him. He was pathetic and should have known better. He was not an adolescent although to my mind he acted as one. My compassion eventually went to Bathsheba. I couldn't help comparing Boldwood to Humbert Humbert. He truly "creeped me out" as the modern generation would say.
Marialyce wrote: "Well, I have to say, Everyman that I felt Boldwood was out of control with his emotions and love (?) for Bathsheba."I don't disagree with you there at all. And I agree that he probably scared Bathsheba, not in any physical way but in the overwhelming desire to possess her. But pathetic? Not to me. The whole situation was very, very sad, yes, but I think pathos is something different.
and in my view...Yes it is a fitting culmination, (I know I'm being a bit of a romantic here) but I felt Bathsheba and Gabriel had a good, constant kind of love and respect for one another. She married Troy based on sexual atraction and his emotional manipulation of her - not to say she didn't fall in love with him, I feel she did but I am sure she regretted her decision to marry him albeit she would live with her choice regardless. To my mind the love between Gabriel and Bathsheba is a far healthier one!
No, Troy doesn't deserve to die like that - so shocking! He was not a good husband, he did not treat women very well in general but he wasn't evil incarnate either and well, still no!
Boldwood is I believe honourable and sincere in his feelings for Bathsheba but he is not decent in his treatment of her. I didn't like the way he coerced her into giving her word to marry, he effectively blackmailed her based on her guilt about the valentine etc. and scared her too. He was virtually stalking her by the end of the book!
I think the Valentine did seem to set the wheels in motion for Boldwood becoming mentally unablanced but he would have had a predisposition (there was a relative afflicted also wasn't there?) Such a relatively minor thing would not have had such a far reaching affect on another man.
At the beginning of the novel Gabriels "love" for Bathsheba is based on glimpses and impressions, I would say yes, it is more so the idea of her that the reality in which he falls in love. However, having lived through such eventful years and having seen her elated, suffering, sad, angry etc. by now he knows her for good and bad and he continues to love her and put her interests first.
As to Troy haunting her future marriage - I think that such traumatic, violent events would inevitably leave their mark on a person and so it would be with Bathsheba. It seemed she was a far more solemn individual, less carefree than in younger days but I think with Gabriel she would look forward, they share their love of the countryside, care about the farm, work together and are committed to one another. I think he is the best person for her and she for him.
I'm sure this is the longest thing I've ever posted!
Em wrote: "and in my view...Yes it is a fitting culmination, (I know I'm being a bit of a romantic here) but I felt Bathsheba and Gabriel had a good, constant kind of love and respect for one another. She..."
Em, very well said, all of it! I think you have the right of it too. I am tickled that you enjoyed the novel so much too. It will always be one of my favorite Hardy novels, and one that I will read and re-read for the rest of my life. There's just so much to discover and re-discover about human nature in those pages. Cheers! Chris
I agree with Everyman that you have absolutely nothing to apologise for Christopher and that you have more than shown your capabilities as a Moderator, which is perhaps why members have quickly joined your new bookclub here The Readers Review : Literature from 1800 to 1910, which starts reading Adam Bede by George Eliot in October and I am sure will go on to read more of your favourite, Thomas Hardy. Thank you for your sterling efforts.
MadgeUK wrote: "I agree with Everyman that you have absolutely nothing to apologise for Christopher and that you have more than shown your capabilities as a Moderator, which is perhaps why members have quickly joi..."Aw, shucks, Madge, nothing to thank me for. I really had a blast talking about this novel. I know that we had a hiccup, or two, whilst doing it, but all seems to have come out just fine in the end. Hopefully more folks will take on Hardy's beautiful novels, his short story fiction, and all of his incredibly beautiful poetry. Personally, I am very glad that Thomas Hardy and I will be together for the rest of my life.
I look forward to hearing what some of the rest of you think about this novel too as we near the end of this group-read journey. And again, Madge, thanks for the kind words! Cheers! Chris
Hardy was the author that started my love affair with Victorian era literature over 25 years ago. I have read all of his novels, some of his poetry and have a much coveted copy of The Dynasts (still on the to-read list) that I purchased at a shop in Dorset on a visit to Hardy's birthplace. It has been a pleasure to read FFTMC again after so many years and to see it through the eyes of all the various group members. So many are put off by Hardy's occasionally overwhelming prose, but if you really take the time to search, he has some of the most exquisitely constructed sentences, that convey meaning and arouse the senses like no other. Here are a couple I thought were perfect pearls:
About the old malter - "Indeed, he seemed to approach the grave as a hyperbolic curve approaches a straight line - less directly as he got nearer, till it was doubtful if he would ever reach it at all."
When Gabriel is atop the haystacks trying to save them from the rain - "The rain stretched obliquely through the dull atmosphere in liquid spines, unbroken in continuity between their beginnings in the clouds and their points in him."
Lauri wrote: "Hardy was the author that started my love affair with Victorian era literature over 25 years ago. I have read all of his novels, some of his poetry and have a much coveted copy of The Dynasts (sti..."Good Lord yes, Lauri! I could not agree with you more about Hardy's ability to 'paint the picture' for the reader with his prose. You have provided some wonderful examples too; and, in fact, I am going to make sure that I mark that last bit with Gabriel on the ricks right now. That is simply a superb sentence. Thank you for the lovely comments! Cheers! Chris
I did enjoy this Hardy novel very much. The beauty of his language and the wonderful characters within this book really encourage me to read more of his work. Being the first I have read, I did wonder if it would be too intense. I understand that other novels of his may be tougher emotionally, but I am certainly willing to try them. Above all, I could sit down and enjoy beautiful writing like this any time. Thanks for leading the discussion, Chris, and happy reading. Have a nice Labor Day for those of you celebrating.
Sarah wrote: "I did enjoy this Hardy novel very much. The beauty of his language and the wonderful characters within this book really encourage me to read more of his work. Being the first I have read, I did wo..."Sarah, what a lovely comment! While his later work may be, as you say, "tougher emotionally," they are no less rewarding. Hardy is in your face! He puts you front and center with the issues of the day; such as Darwinism, Naturalism, and his own brand of women's rights.
One can't help but struck with the issues facing women in each of his novels from "Far From the Madding Crowd" forward (i.e., property rights, and marriage). Then, for example, Grace Melbury and the English divorce laws in "The Woodlanders," poor Tess and the horrific double-standard applied to women versus men; and then again, Sue Bridehead and her issues with marriage in "Jude the Obscure." The man was even more of a feminist than he ever realized, or probably wanted to be.
The value of Hardy, in my opinion, is that he reached out and illustrated, and spoke against, injustice. His message resonates even today. While I sound like a broken drum, his poetry is equally valid in beating out these same themes.
Christopher wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I did enjoy this Hardy novel very much. The beauty of his language and the wonderful characters within this book really encourage me to read more of his work. Being the first I have ..."Very good summary of the big ideas we should look for when reading more Hardy, especially the feminism. Thanks again.
