1. Idealistic Naturalism & the noble ‘savage’
In Thomas Hardy’s ‘far from the madding crowd’ he portrays a timeless English countryside that seems to be pre-industrial, a world that may be lived in by man but in a manner that is more harmonious (that may be seen as the key point of Hardy’s work) than the actual prevailing attitude of Victorian Britain at the time of Hardy writing the novel. Today we might call Hardy an environmentalist, however Hardy had no wish to hang onto his modern trappings as we, the 21st century environmentalist movement, wish to. The modern environmentally aware world-citizen wishes to have their battenberg and eat it, to keep all their luxuries and to keep their conscience clean in terms of how they treat the world around them. Hardy had no such pretensions. The naturalist movement, certainly as Hardy seemed to see it, was about ‘getting back’ to a state of natural harmony with the world. This self-effacing and humble attitude seems directly related to the Christian creed of a ‘return to the garden’ but as Hardy later struggled with his own faith (eventually becoming an agnostic or at the least fatalistic) is it quite as simple as attributing Hardy’s naturalism with his Christianity? I would say not, and would also suggest that he is attempting something more subtle than a reactionary ‘going back’ to the ‘better times’.
What then is Hardy doing? There may be a clue in the title, for as peaceful, noble and simple as the country life is portrayed the characters are all assailed by various misfortunes. Oak loses his entire flock to an overeager dog. Bathsheba’s farm comes under threat by a thieving bailiff and a storm (which she and Oak face together). Bathsheba herself is no less a victim of circumstance, for although she is a strong-willed, intelligent, independent, and beautiful woman, still she must yield to cultural expectation and marry. Troy and Boldwood’s misfortunes attributed to the bewitching effect of Bathsheba upon them, although both men are obsessive and egotistical (as Oak is not). They are both flawed, for Hardy, in ways that Oak is not. Indeed, it is Oak who is the ‘hero’ and he is portrayed as a simple, yet devout and honest man who acts without malice. Thus, although the country may give the possibility of living far from the madding crowd, this is to something that the characters seen to be able to manage. The choice of the title then, can be seen as a darkly humorous comment by Hardy on man’s ability to ‘mess up’ a potentially utopian existence, whether the cruelty be from man or God it is the individual’s pride (Troy and Boldwood) or vanity (Bathsheba) that blocks their successful resolution of the problems. We are all victims of circumstance, Hardy tells us, thrown into the world.
As Oak is the hero, he is to be the exemplar of how to deal with this situation. And Oak faces his problems with a stoical acceptance, never once forgetting who he is, unlike Troy and Boldwood, who both try and force situations to their own ends. Boldwood’s love of Bathsheba may be true enough but he neglects his own farm (even, in the end, his own life) for the obsessive idea of their future together, something that due to his obsession is never to be realised. Equally Troy is also obsessed, albeit with himself and therefore only acts with his own comfort and social standing as items of concern. Oak although of lesser stature socially to both of these gentlemen is shown to be their better in his conduct. Judge not a man by his birth. We are thrown into these outrageous circumstances and are to be judged by our actions as individuals in dealing with them.
2. A guide to marriage (circa 1874)
The interaction between the main characters seems only to be driven as a moral tale, which pleads for a certain ideal of courtship and eventually partnership between man and woman. One that is shown to be more in harmony with Hardy’s natural order of things. For all the grand themes of fate and choice, obsession and cruelty, it is still at heart a melodramatic pastoral tale of courtship and the triumph of friendship over reckless passion or guilty duty as the basis of a lasting relationship. While Bathsheba and Troy’s attraction was instant and physical, it had no deeper substance. Indeed, once married Bathsheba discovers that Troy is a lout (gambling and drinking) and their relationship is doomed from the start of the marriage. Likewise, it was Bathsheba’s vanity that led to her sending Boldwood a valentine’s card, even though she had no feelings for him. Although he fell madly in love with her, she was not drawn to this dour older man and their marriage would have only been through a guilty duty. With Oak, Bathsheba was a distant mistress, then a working colleague, then a friend and confidant. Their relationship grew over time and was based, eventually, on a mutual respect. I’ve read in some commentaries that the marriage between Gabriel and Bathsheba is only that of a financial convenience, but I think that Hardy wants it to serve as his exemplar of what would make a successful marriage.
In an email recently I told a friend that ‘far from the madding crowd’ was “hopelessly melodramatic, utterly unrealistic, ridiculously contrived and saying nothing of value to us living in the 21st century.” I’d like to retract some of those words now. Certainly it is a piece of 19th century literature and so in some sense its portrayal of male-female relationships is somewhat outdated (nowadays Bathsheba could have just shagged Troy and then dumped him) but its message of patience and harmony is a timeless one. If not slightly knocked by Hardy’s own sense of tragedy.
3. On names (biblical, classical, metaphorical)
Gabriel Oak.
Gabriel: The friendly archangel that spoke with human beings. He is Hardy’s ‘messenger’ of his idea of proper conduct.
Oak: Strong, sturdy, English.
Bathsheba Everdene.
Bathsheba: In the Bible, Bathsheba is a married woman whose beauty ‘makes’ David seduce her. He then has her husband (one of his soldiers) killed during a battle and marries her himself. Most importantly, in the new testament, she is listed as one of the ancestor’s of Jesus.
Sergeant Troy.
Troy: The classical city that fell because of a woman (or in his case women). Also, it was Paris that took Helen from Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, to Troy and thus causing the Trojan War. Sergeant Troy is described as half-french (alright I’m grasping at straws here).
Farmer Boldwood.
No linkable biblical or classical source, but only that the ‘bold’ in his name matches some of his actions. He is thusly metaphorically named.
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My own attempt to get 'far from the madding crowd' (taken at Ty'n Cornel Oct 07 by Ben)
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