Far from the madding crowd
By: Thomas Hardy ; with an afterword by James Wright
Contributors: Wright, James
Series: Signet classic; Signet classic
Publisher: Signet Classic
Published: 1984
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 384
ISBN-13: 9780451523600
Subjects: Social life and customs; Manners and customs; Women farmers; Fiction
Description: Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. The first of his works set in Wessex, Hardy & rsquo;s novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.
Notes: Rev. and updated bibliography: pages 383-384.