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Far from the Madding Crowd - Lecture on Chapters XXXI-LVII (Patreon)

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2024-11-24 21:13:04
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Content

Today we draw to the close of Far from the Madding Crowd. The close of this beautiful Wessex novel, but certainly not the end of our loving engagement with Thomas Hardy.

We're discussing true love, men vs women, battles of wills, our heroine's psyche, romance, marriage, jealousy, heartbreak, tragedy, working together, anagnorisis, parables, the climax of the novel, and much more.

Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion, using the timestamps at your personal pace, even if you haven't read up to these chapters yet.

Timestamps:

0:00 reflecting on our time in Wessex

2:00 Farmer Boldwood vs Sergeant Troy

4:00 piteous spectacle/man as weather vane

6:00 Boldwood takes a jest for earnest

7:00 highest compliment a man can pay

9:00 ‘would you have me a woman of clay?’

11:00 love rejection as male ego death

12:00 ‘you are dazzled by brass and scarlet’

13:00 men & women in a battle of wills

15:00 male suitors as Bathsheba’s psyche

16:00 Boldwood turns vengeful punisher

18:00 ‘if only Troy had been Boldwood’

20:00 how to guide yourself in tough times

22:00 perspective & wisdom from literature

24:00 Boldwood barters for Bathsheba

26:00 ruining & saving as the same thing

28:00 Sergeant Troy humiliates Boldwood

31:00 an ominous marriage celebration

33:00 Gabriel Oak reads the signs of nature

35:00 ‘man is ever a palimpsest…’

37:00 appreciating the sublime in literature

39:00 saving Bathsheba’s farm from the storm

40:00 Gabriel battles for his love’s heart

41:00 the value of great pathetic fallacy

43:00 Gabriel & Bathsheba working together

45:00 appreciating William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’

47:00 darkness when the lightning is gone

49:00 why the hard times forge us in love

51:00 the anagnorisis of Bathsheba Everdene

53:00 Boldwood identifies with Jonah

55:00 being dragged down vs pulled up

58:00 Fanny Robin & the workhouse

1:00:00 ‘all romances end at marriage’

1:02:00 the jealousy of Bathsheba

1:03:00 can you jest when I’m in earnest?

1:04:00 Bathsheba loses her sense of pride

1:06:00 the tragic fate of Fanny Robin

1:07:00 Thomas Hardy in an elegiac mood

1:09:00 the utility of comedy vs tragedy

1:11:00 why should we hurry for lifeless clay?

1:12:00 the inscription on Fanny’s coffin

1:13:00 Gabriel wants to redeem Bathsheba

1:14:00 Hardy’s subversion with bible allusions

1:17:00 Bathsheba Everdene learns the truth

1:19:00 how I personally approach prayer

1:21:00 painful scene with Troy & Bathsheba

1:22:00 ‘this woman is more to me dead as she is’

1:24:00 powerful self growth for Bathsheba

1:25:00 appreciating Gray’s Elegy again

1:27:00 Sergeant Troy breaks for the sea

1:29:00 the parable of the mustard seed

1:31:00 Troy performs as a highwayman

1:33:00 how long must one atone for?

1:35:00 Thomas Hardy on men & women

1:36:00 Boldwood’s Christmas party

1:38:00 the tragic return & fall of Troy

1:40:00 a comedy that feels like a tragedy

1:42:00 the madness of Boldwood revealed

1:44:00 the romantic climax of Hardy’s novel

1:45:00 the marriage of Bathsheba & Gabriel

1:46:00 what did you make of the ending?

1:47:00 where to go next with Hardy?

1:48:00 the schedule reveal for next year

Resources to Explore:

  • Your Next Hardy: If you have enjoyed your stay in Wessex, there are many more great novels for you to dive into, like The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Return of the Native, or Jude the Obscure. My most recent reread was of The Woodlanders, which is a novel I cherish. The next Hardy I'm gearing up to read again is my personal favourite Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I highly recommend that masterpiece, but be wary that it reaches a seriously tragic peak.

  • Film Appreciation: As mentioned at the beginning of our read-through, you may like to reward yourself for finishing Far from the Madding Crowd with a viewing of the 1967 film or the 2015 film or the 2019 television series. Let us know whether you think your chosen adaptation was successful.

  • Documentaries: If you're not ready to leave Thomas Hardy yet, and would like to get to know even more about the man behind the novels, you may wish to check some of the many documentaries about his life. Here are three that I recommend: The Heart of Thomas Hardy, Rural Britain: Thomas Hardy, Thomas Hardy: A Haunted Man, and Thomas Hardy: Fate, Exclusion, Tragedy.

  • Reading Programme Reveal: I am planning to formally announce the book club reading schedule for next year this weekend coming. An enormous amount of love and work has gone into this program, so I am incredibly excited to share this with you. And thank you so much for making this such an incredible reading year and for making our journey through great literature such a special and meaningful experience. I appreciate you deeply.

  • Our Next Story: As you know, our seasonal read this year is David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. If you haven't already, you can watch our Dickens Reveal video here. Just as with Hardy, we'll be reading like the Victorians and enjoying the story as it was first published in triple decker form and our first discussion will cover chapters 1-19. As our biggest video of the year is out this coming weekend, we will dive into Dickens the following weekend. This is a big novel so this should give us time to wrap up Hardy and start immersing ourselves in Dickens.

Questions for You:

1) What did you make of the ending of Far from the Madding Crowd?

2) What will you remember most from your stay in Wessex?

3) What area connected with Hardy are you now most keen to explore?

4) How would you persuade another to read Thomas Hardy? And what advice would you give to facilitate a meaningful reading experience?

And please do share with us your impressions and favourite passages from the end of Far from the Madding Crowd.

Congratulations on reading Far from the Madding Crowd, everybody!

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Comments

Ylva

Far From the Madding Crowd was my motivating spark for joining this book club; and oh, how grateful I am for it. It still took me a while to get into the novel…moving, starting a new life in more than that way, and tackling Hardy's dense prose at the same time did not mix for me. I tried, and realised quickly I wanted to give the novel the mindspace it deserved. And once I had it, I didn't befriend Bathsheba easily. It needed Troy's appearance, with all the thickening of plot from thereon, for me to get hooked. After that however…wow, what an experience. I already feel Hardy will be a big one for me. I want to read more of him—as with so many other great novelists, he's still new to me—and the mention that his other works are more tragic is more a promise to me than a warning. What I see myself saying as I recommend this novel to a Hardy-Newcomer might be, "It will slow you down. It will require you to, and reward you for it." What helped me most was the mention in one of Benjamin's lectures that so many scenes in this novel play at night; but I do have a well-known struggle with visualisation during reading.

River
>>158778250

Hello Ylva!! So nice to hear your voice; I missed you! I wish you wonderfully happy beginnings. Kudos for you to accept that it wasn't the time to read the book. I'm still finding it difficult to choose between all my loves, but have endeavored to keep up with the main reads, at least, at a bit of an expense of my enjoyable citizen science work outdoors. I have found that with most books here, it does take me a good while to bring myself to the work. I don't know if it's these books that we're reading here at the HCLB or just me. In the past, I would rip through books, but found later on that it was only a few key scenes, or ones that deeply resonated with me, (so I paused and reflected) that I remembered. Even with our present Dickens novel, I'm at pg. 571, but I don't feel the push to get to the end. However, I am definitely remembering and reflecting more, so I believe I am achieving that goal of deep reading. I found a paperback version of Hardy's poems at a used bookstore. It's nearly 900 pages long - and it's not inclusive of all his poems either! I've only breezed through a few lines here and there, which told me that I'll nee to slow-read them. What else is new?!! I was not familiar with Hardy, but would like to be - just like you - as well as many of these authors. My best❤️

Christopher Tiernan

Boldwood: I want to ask you a question, straight out, flat out, and I want you to give me the honest answer. What do you think the chances are of a guy like you and a girl like me ending up together? Bathsheba: Well Mr. Boldwood, that's difficult to say. We really don't... Boldwood: Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Bathsheba, just... The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances? Bathsheba: Not good. Boldwood: [he gulps, his mouth twitching] You mean, not good like one out of a hundred? Bathsheba: I'd say more like one out of a million. Boldwood: [long pause while he processes what he's heard] So you're telling me there's a chance. YEAH! ---Far from the Madding Crowd meets Dumb and Dumber.

Josie Swallow

I’m finding some enlightening parallels between Hardy’s FFTMC and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Particularly when thinking about fate and free will, and what happens when a relationship deteriorates (though I won’t elaborate further regarding Anna Karenina for those who haven’t read it yet). Sometimes life just happens despite our best laid plans, and knocks us off course. For example, Oak losing his livelihood in the opening chapters, or Troy arriving too late to help Fanny at the workhouse. But some people are more susceptible than others to allowing external forces to push them in other directions. Oak, like his name, is steadfast and unchanging. Troy, in contrast, is highly susceptible to spontaneous events compelling him, on a whim, to change his mind, without thinking through the repercussions for himself or others. For example, how his life suddenly changes direction once he accidentally meets Bathsheba, or the way he rejects Fanny because of an innocent mistake hurting his pride and wounding his ego at the church. In some ways, he’s childlike, without the big-picture thinking that comes with lived experience and maturity. I can’t decide if I sympathise with him or not.

Deborah E

I loved Gabriel. A thought that kept reoccurring was how stoic Gabriel was. His steadiness was grounded in not fighting (or being emotionally engaged) with the things he couldn't control. He didn't necessarily like that Bathsheba married Troy, because he would always love Bathsheba, but he didn't let this destroy him. He accepted "what is". He did work hard at the things over which he had control - for the betterment of society, which is also a stoic virtue. He cares deeply about his community's well being. He knew the difference between the things he couldn't change, and those he could change. Reminded me of my grandfather.

Patchanon M.

I’m late, like very late. In fact, I’m just in time before One Hundred Years of Solitude. I think the ending was solid, it’s a beautiful ending to a cycle of unrequited love that caused so many tragedies. The characters feel thoroughly developed, and jaded(in a good way) at the end. The scene that’s gonna stick with me for a while is probably Fanny Robin walking to the workhouse, how she used everything that’s available to her, and how she try to trick her own mind. Genuinely wants to write a fan fiction to give her a happy ending. Probably ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’? Tristan and the Classics recommended that one, but if any of Hardy’s work are just straight up love story, that’d be great. I’m on a sort of romance binge right now, rewatching all of my favorites romance anime, and rereading all of my favorites romance manga. So if I could have one of those with Hardy’s prose would be wonderful. And way later, when I’m in college probably, maybe I’ll check out some of his Wessex poetry, assuming the landscape description is as beautiful as his novels. I’ll probably incorporate him as a palette cleanser for when I inevitably tackle Thai poetry in my later years. I don’t know how to persuade people, don’t ask me, please. Though I’ll probably tell them to get familiar with the bible, a lot of biblical allusion kinda just flew over my head because I’ve never read it as a Buddhist.

Matthew McVittie

This was a strange one for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book and tore through it pretty quickly, but took me some time to get through the second half. I think the drama was a bit too much for me, it all got a bit over the top. I went somewhat full circle, before reading I didn't think I would like it too much, found I was really enjoying it, then lost engagement towards the end as it became a bit too soap opera. I don't think I liked any of the characters. Gabriel was too perfect, I kept getting visions of Westley from The Princess Bride of him, but without the roguish charm. Then the ending just felt a bit forced and unearned. I did enjoy Hardy's style of writing and found it pleasing to read, so I may be tempted to try other of his works in future, or revisit this again sometime to see if my attitude changes over time.

Walker Rowe

This was great. First time I got emotional about a books ending I think forever. Only get that from movies and series, so maybe I'm becoming a better reader.

Daisy

Hello! I finished reading this as my first Hardy novel and wow, I was just blown away. I really had a wonderful reading experience all thanks to Ben’s lectures. In the past, when I read a book like this, I would just whizz through or skip all the descriptions and get to the action. The ‘how to read’ video gave me a heads up on the writing style and Hardy’s background, this enabled me to consciously appreciate the beautiful descriptions of nature, buildings, and the characters’ inner states. I love that the book has a happy ending but at the same time I feel very deep sadness for the other characters (Fanny and somehow Troy & Boldwood). My plan is to read Tess next, in the near future but a little apprehensive as I don’t really like depressing stories. Hoping to also watch the 2015 movie adaptation at some stage.

Nikki H

Far From The Madding Crowd is one of the most quintessential Romantic Realism novels for me on my shelf and sits right next to Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. It’s my favorite Hardy novel and definitely one of my top five favorites of all time. **for film fans- After finishing Ben’s final lecture on FFTMC, I treated myself to a movie marathon and watched 3 different versions of this story. The 1967 version is my least favorite, it is just strange to me and definitely has a 60’s vibe to it. I can’t for my life figure out why they chose Julie Christie to play Bathsheba? I think Elizabeth Taylor might’ve been a better choice. I will say that Terence Stamp is pretty good as Sgt. Troy though. The 1998 PBS Masterpiece TV version was new to me. I thought it very good- and it is exceptionally true to the Hardy novel. But I have to say that for me, the 2015 version is the most cinematically stunning rendition of FFTMC there is to date. The cinematography captures Hardy’s prose and his descriptions of the landscapes and light perfectly. The score is absolutely amazing and I think Carey Mulligan was born to play the role of Bathsheba Everdene. I have been steeped in this novel completely now, and will set it back upon my bookshelf for another time. 100 YOS will be a fun change of scenery, and swapping Wessex for Macondo will certainly be a trip!

Jen Wilson

I’m enjoying the discussion about Adam, Eve and the perfect relationship between them. The connections and comparisons with Hardy are fascinating.