Far from the Madding Crowd - Lecture on Chapters I-XII (Patreon)

'I shall do one thing in this life - one thing certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.'

Today we are spending some time in the partly real, partly dream world of Wessex. We are meeting Thomas Hardy's characters together, meditating upon complex themes, and immersing ourselves in the vivid world of Far from the Madding Crowd.

We're discussing the marriage trap, women's voices in the nineteenth century, defying Victorian social conventions, realism vs sensationalism, the wisdom of pastoral literature, pathetic fallacy, true love, romantic desire, and much more.

Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read up to these chapters yet. I'm being mindful to stay away from spoilers for things that are revealed later in the narrative.

Timestamps:

0:00 Welcome to Thomas Hardy’s Wessex

2:00 the trajectory of Hardy’s novels

4:00 original publication of this story

6:00 how the first critics responded

8:00 criticism of Bathsheba Everdene

10:00 realism vs sensationalism

12:00 Hardy’s explanation of Wessex

14:00 ‘partly real, partly dream country’

15:00 appreciating Hardy’s night scenes

17:00 meeting our hero Gabriel Oak

19:00 the character flaw of vanity

21:00 Hardy’s religious skepticism

23:00 Ecclesiastes & King Lear

25:00 man-made time vs eternity

26:00 the wisdom of pastoral literature

27:00 bygone time vs industrial era

29:00 writing about contemporary issues

31:00 looking up at the night sky together

34:00 musing upon guardian angels

36:00 Noah’s Ark & weathering storms

38:00 Gabriel Oak delivers a lamb

39:00 William Blakes ‘The Lamb’

41:00 John Milton’s Paradise Lost

43:00 appreciating Gabriel’s library

45:00 a scandalous piece of dialogue

46:00 our hero & heroine’s meeting

49:00 Bathsheba saves Gabriel’s life

51:00 Gabriel proposes to Bathsheba

54:00 romantic desire in Hardy

56:00 Gabriel’s promise to Bathsheba

58:00 the 19th century marriage trap

1:02:00 novel as essay or impression?

1:04:00 first intensely tragic set piece

1:06:00 the hiring fair at Casterbridge

1:09:00 Gabriel Oak battles the fire

1:11:00 the shift in social dynamics

1:13:00 spending time in the malthouse

1:16:00 character of Farmer Boldwood

1:18:00 ‘he wasn’t good enough for me’

1:19:00 Bathsheba’s leadership style

1:21:00 six literary degrees of separation

1:23:00 Fanny Robin & Sergeant Troy

1:24:00 John Ruskin on pathetic fallacy

1:26:00 Bathsheba enters the marketplace

1:29:00 wedding service vs married state

1:30:00 ‘a black sheep among the flock’

1:31:00 ‘women scarcely ever jilt men’

1:32:00 what are you making of the story?

Resources to Explore:

• Music Appreciation: If you would like to complement your reading with something music, I recommended checking out the Mellstock Band's playlist of songs from the album Songs of Thomas Hardy's Wessex here. The band took their name and inspiration from Hardy's fictional village, based on his real hometown in Dorset. Indeed his family were leading local musicians who played for the church and village dances and Hardy's love of music comes through in his novels.

• Criticism: You may find it interesting to give D. H. Lawrence's famous 'Study of Thomas Hardy' a read here. He wrote this essay against the backdrop of the First World War, and whilst finishing The Rainbow, and it is as much a statement on his own craft than Hardy's, but it is well worth reading. And, if you're enjoying Hardy's storytelling, then keep Lawrence in mind for a future reading too.

• Scripture: 'Vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?' The wisdom of the book of Ecclesiastes runs through this novel. After Bathsheba rejects his marriage proposal, we're told that Farmer Oak assented with 'the bearing of one who was going to give his days and nights to Ecclesiastes for ever.' You might find it rewarding to give the opening chapters of that book a read, as it emerges significantly across the course of the literary tradition. I recommend the KJV here.

• Radio Drama: In our previous discussion, I recommended film, television, and radio adaptations of Far from the Madding Crowd. But I would like to take this moment to turn your attention again to this radio version. That audiobook is the Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection, which kicks off with our novel, and then runs through many more of his works, like The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, and more. I've seen many readers say they are now taking this opportunity to explore several of his works and this is the perfect resource for that. I have been listening to this collection whilst driving. My routine is to read a few chapters of the physical book, then the next day listen to how the scenes are adapted whilst travelling anywhere. This really makes the stories come alive in an exciting way.

• Poetry Appreciation: If you have picked up a copy of Hardy's Wessex Poems, I recommend appreciating the following to get started: 'Neutral Tones,' 'The Impercipient,' and 'In a Eweleaze near Weatherbury.' And if you have a copy of Lyrical Ballads, I recommend beginning with these poems: 'We are Seven,' 'Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey,' and 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' Make sure you're reading aloud. And take your appreciation to the next level by trying to observe the influence of Wordsworth and Coleridge upon Hardy.

• Thought Experiment: Thomas Hardy gives us a privileged glimpse into Farmer Oak's personal library, which is comprised of just eight books. Volumes include Paradise Lost, Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim's Progress, books on agriculture, etiquette, animal surgery, a dictionary, and a book of arithmetic. We're told that 'though a limited series, it was one from which he had acquired more sound information by diligent perusal than many a man of opportunities has done from a furlong of laden shelves.' If you could only have a small curation of volumes, which ones would you choose?

Reading Assignment:

Our next discussion will cover from chapter thirteen up to and including chapter thirty, which comprised the second volume of the original publication. Hardy has set up his scene and characters, and now we're going to see the themes of the novel deepen.

Questions for You:

1) How do you define true love?

2) What are your impressions of Hardy's novel thus far?

3) What do you make of Hardy's depiction of men and women?

4) Are you a fan of the pastoral descriptions and poetic prose style?

If this is your first reading of Far from the Madding Crowd, I would love to know how the story is meeting your expectations. If this is a reread for you, what is it like returning to the story? And please do share with us your favourite passage from the story so far.

Happy reading, everybody!