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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Slavery
4.5 Stars Rounded up to 5.
One of my main reading goals in 2021 is to begin filling in "gaps" in my classics knowledge. Thomas Hardy had always been low priority on the list, until I heard a summary of the first chapter from someone online. The central premise, of a man who sells his wife and daughter and the subsequent aftermath, sounded so preposterous I just had to give The Mayor of Casterbridge a go. Obviously, when I start a new book, I hope to enjoy it, but I hadn't really expected to love this book as much as I did.
The plot is truly a bit preposterous and Hardy has a real flair for melodrama...and yet, this was also one of the most intentional books I have encountered. Every action, no matter how absurd it may have been, had a natural and believable reaction/effect. The book was paced and plotted in a way that I felt leaned more modern than Victorian. Hardy's writing, while formal and at times verbose, is gorgeous once you find a rhythm with it. There is also an interesting juxtaposition in his writing, that such bitter and despairing people can be found living in a place as idyllic and beautiful as Casterbridge and the surrounding countryside.
It's not just Hardy's descriptions of the English countryside that worked for me, it was also his characters. From the first sentence, I thought Henchard, Susan and Elizabeth-Jane practically leapt off the page. Each new character we were introduced to had their own individual voice as well. Henchard, our main character is interesting in the sense, that he often teeters on self-awareness, but in reality has the emotional capacity of a child. Henchard is caught in a vicious cycle of his own making. He wrongs people, realizes he has done wrong, tries to make amends, then is so blindsided by his own emotions (usually jealousy or fear of his misdeeds being found out) that he falls back into the cycle of hurting people all over again. Henchard is a man who just cannot get his sh*t together! And so it goes.
Elizabeth-Jane (EJ) is the character I found to be most tragic. Despite all of the men, and even many of the women, around her thinking she's dim-witted, I found her to often be the smartest and most perceptive of the core cast of characters. EJ is the only one who genuinely tries to better herself, despite having very little autonomy in reality. Moreover, she is the only character who is caught up in the scandals of Casterbridge, through no fault of her own, save having been born into the middle of a very complicated situation. That said, while I believe Hardy is to some extent, making a point about women in Victorian society, I personally think he was still a man relatively constrained by his own times and because of his constraints, EJ never quite fully develops into our heroine as I had hoped. Still, in many ways, this only aids to the tragedy of her character because it feels relatively realistic for the society in which she lives.
Throughout the novel, Hardy is clearly making a point that secrets don't stay buried and that misdeeds done in the dark will always come to light. In many ways, Time, is as much a character as it is a theme and I would argue, Time is probably the most compelling character. As a reader, we see Time acting as the puppeteer pulling on the strings of the central cast, almost gleefully disrupting their lives and causing characters anxiety and panic as their dirty little secrets are uncovered. I had a lot of fun looking out for references to Time in this novel and there are many -- sometimes overt, sometimes subtle.
As this was my first Hardy, I have no other frame of reference for his writing, but after this, I can say with certainty that I will be reading more of him and soon. I just need to decide which of his works to go to next.
One of my main reading goals in 2021 is to begin filling in "gaps" in my classics knowledge. Thomas Hardy had always been low priority on the list, until I heard a summary of the first chapter from someone online. The central premise, of a man who sells his wife and daughter and the subsequent aftermath, sounded so preposterous I just had to give The Mayor of Casterbridge a go. Obviously, when I start a new book, I hope to enjoy it, but I hadn't really expected to love this book as much as I did.
The plot is truly a bit preposterous and Hardy has a real flair for melodrama...and yet, this was also one of the most intentional books I have encountered. Every action, no matter how absurd it may have been, had a natural and believable reaction/effect. The book was paced and plotted in a way that I felt leaned more modern than Victorian. Hardy's writing, while formal and at times verbose, is gorgeous once you find a rhythm with it. There is also an interesting juxtaposition in his writing, that such bitter and despairing people can be found living in a place as idyllic and beautiful as Casterbridge and the surrounding countryside.
It's not just Hardy's descriptions of the English countryside that worked for me, it was also his characters. From the first sentence, I thought Henchard, Susan and Elizabeth-Jane practically leapt off the page. Each new character we were introduced to had their own individual voice as well. Henchard, our main character is interesting in the sense, that he often teeters on self-awareness, but in reality has the emotional capacity of a child. Henchard is caught in a vicious cycle of his own making. He wrongs people, realizes he has done wrong, tries to make amends, then is so blindsided by his own emotions (usually jealousy or fear of his misdeeds being found out) that he falls back into the cycle of hurting people all over again. Henchard is a man who just cannot get his sh*t together! And so it goes.
Elizabeth-Jane (EJ) is the character I found to be most tragic. Despite all of the men, and even many of the women, around her thinking she's dim-witted, I found her to often be the smartest and most perceptive of the core cast of characters. EJ is the only one who genuinely tries to better herself, despite having very little autonomy in reality. Moreover, she is the only character who is caught up in the scandals of Casterbridge, through no fault of her own, save having been born into the middle of a very complicated situation. That said, while I believe Hardy is to some extent, making a point about women in Victorian society, I personally think he was still a man relatively constrained by his own times and because of his constraints, EJ never quite fully develops into our heroine as I had hoped. Still, in many ways, this only aids to the tragedy of her character because it feels relatively realistic for the society in which she lives.
Throughout the novel, Hardy is clearly making a point that secrets don't stay buried and that misdeeds done in the dark will always come to light. In many ways, Time, is as much a character as it is a theme and I would argue, Time is probably the most compelling character. As a reader, we see Time acting as the puppeteer pulling on the strings of the central cast, almost gleefully disrupting their lives and causing characters anxiety and panic as their dirty little secrets are uncovered. I had a lot of fun looking out for references to Time in this novel and there are many -- sometimes overt, sometimes subtle.
As this was my first Hardy, I have no other frame of reference for his writing, but after this, I can say with certainty that I will be reading more of him and soon. I just need to decide which of his works to go to next.
Other thoughts/reviews:
Shelf Love: http://shelflove.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/the-mayor-of-casterbridge/
Shelf Love: http://shelflove.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/the-mayor-of-casterbridge/
Deeply moving, with some lovely (readable!) prose.
My first encounter with Hardy, but certainly not my last. :)
My first encounter with Hardy, but certainly not my last. :)
Read it in High School and though I loved it more than anyone else in my class I have a hard time remembering it now. I do remember loving it though.
3.5 stars. The writing is solid, very easy to follow as it flows well. The characters are as dramatic as one would suppose for such an old novel. This plot could very well be that of the next CW show it's so theatrical. It is a bit long though and some parts dragged, overall an enjoyable read.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was just okay for me. I want to read more Hardy, but wow, this was tedious.
This is the 1880's book equivalent of EastEnders - drama, drama, drama! It got to be quite ridiculous at times. It got my feminist back up - I appreciate that things were different when this was written, but still I think the writing shows a lack of respect for women in general. Still, I wanted to see it through to the end and find out what happens, so not all bad.