Far from the Madding Crowd

Rating:
Summary: Is not this Bathsheba?
Review: I approached this book with both anticipation and trepidation. I've read a lot of the later Hardy novels, and while I love them, their view on the world can be very dark and almost hard to read.

While I'm not sure that someone would call FFTMC light-hearted it's still the view of a lighter Hardy. While his characters have to endure pain in order to find happiness, you don't have the feeling that all possibility of happiness has been closed off as you do in a book like Jude the Obscure.

This was the first Wessex novel and was the book that brought him fame and recognition.

It's a great read-- it's satisfying on the most basic plot level, and it only takes a little bit of rummaging around in the symbols to make it interesting in a whole lot of other ways. I recommend reading the Bathsheba/King David story before (or at least just after) you read FFTMC. While there's no direct connection (besides character names) it created some interesting resonance on the idea of human mistakes and divine forgiveness.

A really should read book.

Rating:
Summary: Far From My Favorite Hardy Novel
Review: I have only within the last 2 years begun to read more of Hardy's novels than my initial foray with Return of the Native many years ago. And while I enjoy his style, his use of language, and his descriptive passages, "Crowd" falls short, for me, of being a classic.

Farmer Gabriel Oak falls in love with Bathsheba Everdene, as does one Mr. Boldwood. She, in turn, becomes enamored of a soldier, Sgt. Troy. He, in turn, loves Fanny Robin, a young servant girl.

While the quadrangle of unrequited love for some and tragedy for others sums itself up nicely in the latter half of the book, it was not a compelling enough plot thread to really entertain, unlike Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Casterbridge. In those novels, themes of love are interwoven in the tale, and help propel the story. In this, love is the story. In comparison with the aforementioned tales, love, unfortunately, isn't enough.

I know little of Hardy as a man, and still feel a novice at exploring his catalogue of novels. However, it seemed, to me, that Hardy was the least love-struck of all the players in this work. In past efforts, all the gloom and doom that befalls the dramatis personae is punctuated by a deep and abiding passion, be it for some 'one' or some 'thing'. In this, with too many suitors for Bathsheba and a lack of interest in them or in love in general by her, the tale falls flat. There is little to root for here, as far as hoping that true love prevails for any one person or couple.

Hardy's usual grace and eloquence are of course here, but to take the time to read Thomas Hardy and truly enjoy his work, I would recommend staying far from Far From The Maddening Crowd, until you have explored other works first.

Rating:
Summary: Now I Understand the fuss about Hardy
Review: I never had much inclination to read Thomas Hardy, who struck me as bleak, melodramatic and angry, but I'm glad I did. I hear this is one of the happiest of his books, but having been so delighted by the sheer quality of writing I am tempted to try even the heavier ones.
Not that there isn't tragedy to be found here. Perhaps the most upsetting incident in the book occurs near the beginning with the death of a flock of sheep. And the human tragedy gets much worse from there on in; however, all is not entirely lost, and I was glad to find a relatively positive ending.
Bathsheba Everdene is a very well drawn character, and who could fail to like Gabriel Oak? Hardy is great at naming his characters, too. Every name seems to fit its owner perfectly--Francis Troy, Fanny Robin, Cainy Ball, Liddy Smallbury.
Yes, he's a master writer, after all.

Rating:
Summary: Now I Understand the fuss about Hardy
Review: I never had much inclination to read Thomas Hardy, who struck me as bleak, melodramatic and angry, but I'm glad I did. I hear this is one of the happiest of his books, but having been so delighted by the sheer quality of writing I am tempted to try even the heavier ones.
Not that there isn't tragedy to be found here. Perhaps the most upsetting incident in the book occurs near the beginning with the death of a flock of sheep. And the human tragedy gets much worse from there on in; however, all is not entirely lost, and I was glad to find a relatively positive ending.
Bathsheba Everdene is a very well drawn character, and who could fail to like Gabriel Oak? Hardy is great at naming his characters, too. Every name seems to fit its owner perfectly--Francis Troy, Fanny Robin, Cainy Ball, Liddy Smallbury.
Yes, he's a master writer, after all.

Rating:
Summary: Forget the infamous "love triangle"...
Review: In Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy introduces us to the precarious "love square". At the core of all the turmoil is beautiful farm girl, Bathsheba Everdene - spirited, vain, intelligent and adept at toying with the hearts of men. Inevitably beguiled by her charms a humble and kind farmer, Gabriel Oak, fervently attempts to win Bathsheba's affections. Enter the competition: (suitor#2) Farmer Boldwood - a wealthy and temperate middle-aged man respected in the community, eventually plunges into maniacal obsession at the mere possibility of making the beloved Miss Everdene his wife; and (suitor#3) Sergeant Francis Troy - a dashing young philandering soldier, with his share of inner demons, ruthlessness and vanity, vies for Bathsheba's hand in marriage. Bathsheba's ultimate decision, and the cataclysm it evokes, lies at the epicenter of Hardy's unforgettable ambivalent story.

Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy's fourth novel, saw publication in 1874 and earned him widespread popularity as a writer. A delicately woven tale of unrequited love and regret, set in the mid-19th century, Far From the Madding Crowd is a masterpiece of pure story-telling. Hardy's classic style is a pleasure to read as he masterfully brings his characters and their dealings to life. I would not hesitate to say it definitely captured my heart as another favourite.

Rating:
Summary: Forget the infamous "love triangle"...
Review: In Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy introduces us to the precarious "love square". At the core of all the turmoil is beautiful farm girl, Bathsheba Everdene - spirited, vain, intelligent and adept at toying with the hearts of men. Inevitably beguiled by her charms a humble and kind farmer, Gabriel Oak, fervently attempts to win Bathsheba's affections. Enter the competition: (suitor#2) Farmer Boldwood - a wealthy and temperate middle-aged man respected in the community, eventually plunges into maniacal obsession at the mere possibility of making the beloved Miss Everdene his wife; and (suitor#3) Sergeant Francis Troy - a dashing young philandering soldier, with his share of inner demons, ruthlessness and vanity, vies for Bathsheba's hand in marriage. Bathsheba's ultimate decision, and the cataclysm it evokes, lies at the epicenter of Hardy's unforgettable ambivalent story.

Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy's fourth novel, saw publication in 1874 and earned him widespread popularity as a writer. A delicately woven tale of unrequited love and regret, set in the mid-19th century, Far From the Madding Crowd is a masterpiece of pure story-telling. Hardy's classic style is a pleasure to read as he masterfully brings his characters and their dealings to life. I would not hesitate to say it definitely captured my heart as another favourite.

Rating:
Summary: Since 'tis as 'tis . . . I feel my thanks accordingly.
Review: Over the years I've read most of Hardy's novels and decided recently to re-read the great Wessex novels in the order in which they were written. This is the first of them and Hardy's first 'mature' novel.

In breathtakingly evocative language Hardy writes a paean to times he knew were changing. He is writing at a period when the old country ways are at war with the new. Bathsheba Everdene is, in her way, one of the 'new' people. And Sergeant Troy, out of harmony with the village of his birth and 'a man to whom memories were an encumbrance', is too. So one would think they were meant for each other. Hardy shows us, though, that there is something about the old ways that is worth saving; this is personified by Gabriel Oak, who is staunch like his name. His steadfastness symbolizes the old ways, the ways in which loyalty, integrity, modest ambitions and decency are lasting values. One is led to think, perhaps, in the middle of the book that the new ways will be a path out of the seemingly simple and ineffective country ways, where people live their lives by the seasons, know their rôle in their society, get along civilly with each other, all of which might seem to lead to a certain lack of excitement. When Gabriel characterizes his proposal of marriage to Bathsheba by saying '. . . at home by the fire, whenever you look up, there I shall be--and whenever I look up, there will be you', this is taken by Bathsheba as a recipe for boredom. She comes to understand with time that this sort of domestic harmony is a haven from the harms of the world.

And so, while writing about changing times, Hardy also writes a prose poem about married love. He was 33 when he wrote it and ironically it was the success of this book that gave him the means to finally get married to his dear fiancée, Emma Gifford. And it launched him on a series that was to become a dominant part of his life's work.

The book ends with a neat summation, quoted in the title of this review, by one of the farm laborers, Joseph Poorgrass, who proposes a perhaps unromantic means of accepting our time among our fellow-men: '. . . since 'tis as 'tis, why, it might have been worse, and I feel my thanks accordingly.'

Rating:
Summary: Far from the Madding Crowd
Review: Thomas Hardy is able to entice you with his country atmosphere, well-developed character's, and embelished complexity and corruption. You have Bathsheba the temptrest, Gabriel Oak the Archangel, Farmer Boldwood the very stern conservative type, and Frank Troy the horse that fools the foolish. Hardy used these names to symbolize these certain historical figures and meanings. He wanted you to visualize and develop the character's personalties before reading. This would then give you a sense of why the chaos is occurring throughout the book. Bathsheba is very beautiful and catches the eye of a man wherever she goes. She doesn't really realize the effect she has on a man's feelings and emotions. She's very self-centered, but passionate at the same time. She's looking for romance, and in the process of doing so she plays with most of the mens hearts. Gabriel Oak is very kind and generous. The most unfortunate disasters happen to him, but he still stays the giving person he is. He's willing to take the bad with the good. Farmer Boldwood is very religious and old-fashion in his ways. You sympathize for this man throughout the book. Frank Troy is very attractive to women, and likes to play with women's feelings. He makes the whole book so appealing because his shift in love interests are so inadequate. The book is based upon relationships between the character's, but focuses on argricutural surroundings that bring forth several different audiences.Hardy had many restrictions on how this book could be appropriate, but found a way to capture the romantic actions and emotions of the couples.It's a wonderful piece of literature, and leads into the beginning of the Romanticism Era.

Rating:
Summary: A book of depth and beauty
Review: Thomas Hardy's masterwork of 1874 is a compelling story that becomes increasingly unputdowneable. Notwithstanding the occasional burst of sexism, Hardy still exhibits enough knowledge of human nature to make his characters alive and sympathetic to us. This holds true for both their cataclysmic moments of life-change, and also their small, relatively unimportant, actions.

But I can't pretend that it's easy to read. The narrative is intermittently broken by long bouts of West Country dialect. When reading these episodes, one tends to glaze over, so impenetrable are the vocabulary and accents. And the triviality! But don't just charge on. By all means skim over these knotty bits, but flip back and nail them down before moving on. The Dorset rustics function like a Greek chorus. Their opinions, rumours, actions, are important background texture and sometimes catalysts. They may perhaps be seen as the "Madding Crowd" of the title.

And now to the "Far" bit. I will resist plot summary, and observe that the three protagonists' allegorical names echo Hardy's cultural preoccupations, which come out in plentiful allusions: Bathsheba = Biblical. Troy = Greek mythology. Oak = Englishness (first name Gabriel is again Biblical). The book is stuffed with these three types of allusions, intermixed, in Hardy's painterly style, with elemental, lyrical, elegiac descriptions and narrative.

There's a particularly good introduction by Rosemarie Morgan in the Penguin Classic edition. It relates Hardy's mixing of high and low elements to Victorian tastes.

This beautiful book fully merits its classical status. I avoided novels for years, but am glad to have read this one.

Rating:
Summary: A book of depth and beauty
Review: Thomas Hardy's masterwork of 1874 is a compelling story that becomes increasingly unputdowneable. Notwithstanding the occasional burst of sexism, Hardy still exhibits enough knowledge of human nature to make his characters alive and sympathetic to us. This holds true for both their cataclysmic moments of life-change, and also their small, relatively unimportant, actions.

But I can't pretend that it's easy to read. The narrative is intermittently broken by long bouts of West Country dialect. When reading these episodes, one tends to glaze over, so impenetrable are the vocabulary and accents. And the triviality! But don't just charge on. By all means skim over these knotty bits, but flip back and nail them down before moving on. The Dorset rustics function like a Greek chorus. Their opinions, rumours, actions, are important background texture and sometimes catalysts. They may perhaps be seen as the "Madding Crowd" of the title.

And now to the "Far" bit. I will resist plot summary, and observe that the three protagonists' allegorical names echo Hardy's cultural preoccupations, which come out in plentiful allusions: Bathsheba = Biblical. Troy = Greek mythology. Oak = Englishness (first name Gabriel is again Biblical). The book is stuffed with these three types of allusions, intermixed, in Hardy's painterly style, with elemental, lyrical, elegiac descriptions and narrative.

There's a particularly good introduction by Rosemarie Morgan in the Penguin Classic edition. It relates Hardy's mixing of high and low elements to Victorian tastes.

This beautiful book fully merits its classical status. I avoided novels for years, but am glad to have read this one.