Successful Beginnings

Respond to either of these quotes from Richard Carpenter's criticism:

"Bathsheba's problems do not arise alone from ambivalent desire; for, as with other protagonists, she is subjected to the influences of Chance and Time, which destroy the stable patterns of rural life and make breaches for character to expoit. Far From the Madding Crowd is not so donimated by these forces as is, say, Tess of the d'Urbervilles; nevertheless with them it could not take the course it does."


"Far From the Madding Crowd is, then, Hardy's first undeniably assured venture into the realm where he was to have his greatest success. In it he developed some of his most characteristic and effective modes, from the centrally tragic figure to the symbolic landscape to the rustic chorus. In it, especially, we see in clear form for the first time the mythic and psychological patters which he was to employ so effectively as he went on."

Accessible Plot

Far From the Madding Crowd is considered one of Hardy's lighter works. His treatement of characters as being destined to fulfill a tragic, or dramatic, purpose is not so forceful in Far as in his later works, like Tess and Jude.

Not only are the themes more digestable, but the plot (which at times lapses to melodrama) is also more believable than most of his contrived, complicated stories. Carpenter says of Hardy's plot in Far From the Madding Crowd "the plot is one of quality...which is demonstronably superior to his minor works, for it grows principally out of character and natural situations." Post evidence to support Carpenter's statement.

A Celebration of Rural Life

Critic Richard Carpenter says, "Far From the Madding Crowd developes...the vividly realized setting of field and farm without the grim majesty of Egdon Heath (in Return of the Native)." Choose a descriptive passage of "field and farm" from the first 75 pages and post it to this blog as a comment. Then comment on each others posts.

Be sure to check the posts from Return of the Native as their setting differs from yours greatly. This should give you a well-rounded sense of Hardy's treatment of setting.

Grey's "Elegy of a Churchyard"

The title of this novel does not come directly from the text. There is no "Madding" family, or crowd. The main characters are not trying to get "Far" from anything. The title actually comes from Grey's Elegy's Written in a Country Church-Yard. Some of you may remember this poem from Dr. Crowley's class. To refresh your memory, or enlighten yourself, read the poem at this link (http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Poetry/Elegy.htm).

This poem is called "meditative" for the narrator meditates on the destinies of the dead buried in the graveyard. The closing stanzas are said to be Grey's own fear about his destiny as a writer.

Why would Hardy choose such a title for this novel? What connections could he be making between what you have just begun to read, and Grey's meditative poem?