Far From The Madding Crowd (Annotated)

This edition incorporates an original introduction from Moorside Press, including a biography, a critical discussion of Hardy's place in the history of British Literature and a short contextual discussion of the book.

Published in 1874 as a serial story in the Cornhill Magazine, Far From The Madding Crowd was Hardy's fourth novel in as many years and the first of what critics consider to be his major works. The plot revolves around the female lead character, Bathsheba Everdene, her independent ways and how this impacts upon her choice of husband. The prospective candidates include examples of different economic backgrounds, with a farm labourer, Gabriel Oak, a prosperous farm owner, William Boldwood and a young dashing soldier, Frank Troy. The resolution, when it comes, is just as much a result of fate as it is of Bathsheba's choice.

Far From The Madding Crowd the name derives from a Thomas Gray elegy has been seen as disposition on the conditions for a good marriage, but it can also be seen as an allegory for the rural life against the imposing social and economic waves coming from outside; money and social climbing set against tradition and heritage. All of which serves to make Gabriel Oak one of Hardy's most important characters.