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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
sad
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
Until the near end of the novel, disliking most of the major characters in The Mayor of Casterbridge is easy for a reader to do, if only because these characters’ failures are borne from such sailing ambition (and the uneven pitch of their hearts), that readers have been rolling their eyes at this cast for centuries. These same flaws – made palatable by their truth – pull the novel from a dusty cannon shelf to modern times, where a popular culture in love with the mostly propitious world of Jane Austen can, I suspect, better relate to the baser and earthier motives driving Hardy’s plot, even if it’s only a third as romantic. Vanity, paranoid rage, ignorance, anger, lust, misplaced trust, blind infatuation, and simple caste loathing – all parade the streets of Casterbridge in the daylight of believability, giving these wonderful, hopeless characters a humanity so ripe it makes their failures as wincing as they are compelling. Hearts are changed in Casterbridge more often than clothes, apparently, and if the town is mostly lost to modern times, as the narrator suggests, surely it isn’t for having been built on the same ephemeral foundation. More likely, too much of humanity has walked this ground before, as so many more have done it since. An excellent book.
I've read quite a few of Thomas Hardy's novels, and I always remember them as being depressing, usually because characters die cruel and ironic deaths that seem to be punishment for normal human flaws. The Mayor of Casterbridge wasn't much different, but there seemed to be a bit more justice for the more "innocent" characters.
This novel has an absurdly convoluted plot. It's been too long since I've read his other books to remember if they were they same way, but I don't think they were quite as Shakespearean in their twists and turns. The main character, Mr. Henchard, who starts out as the titular mayor, plays both victim and orchestrator of the hidden information that causes the majority of the book's conflict and which also provides one of its key themes: think before you act.
Henchard constantly acts in the heat of the moment when he's feeling hurt or angry, and every time those actions come back to haunt him. In some ways this is a story with a moral, but it's also about learning to live your life without knowing what will happen. We are all subject to fate, chance, or whatever greater power you want to name, and our morals are all we have to guide us.
I think Hardy's labyrinthine plot is there to demonstrate just how little we know and how quickly our circumstances can change. It even serves as a somewhat metafictional comment on the power the writer has over their characters and what the reader may wish for those characters. I found myself completely unmoved even a bit happy over the death of one character which I would not feel had it been a real person. Of course we've all wished ill on fictional characters because we know they're fictional, but when I thought about it, I realized I would have made the same decisions as this character and therefore had no real reason to dislike them.
I think this is what Hardy's work best evokes, reflection on your own choices. The Mayor of Casterbridge is 100+ years old, but it's also progressive in some of its treatment of women. It's easy to judge characters when you feel removed, but if you're an empathetic reader (and person) you put yourself in their shoes.
This novel has an absurdly convoluted plot. It's been too long since I've read his other books to remember if they were they same way, but I don't think they were quite as Shakespearean in their twists and turns. The main character, Mr. Henchard, who starts out as the titular mayor, plays both victim and orchestrator of the hidden information that causes the majority of the book's conflict and which also provides one of its key themes: think before you act.
Henchard constantly acts in the heat of the moment when he's feeling hurt or angry, and every time those actions come back to haunt him. In some ways this is a story with a moral, but it's also about learning to live your life without knowing what will happen. We are all subject to fate, chance, or whatever greater power you want to name, and our morals are all we have to guide us.
I think Hardy's labyrinthine plot is there to demonstrate just how little we know and how quickly our circumstances can change. It even serves as a somewhat metafictional comment on the power the writer has over their characters and what the reader may wish for those characters. I found myself completely unmoved even a bit happy over the death of one character which I would not feel had it been a real person. Of course we've all wished ill on fictional characters because we know they're fictional, but when I thought about it, I realized I would have made the same decisions as this character and therefore had no real reason to dislike them.
I think this is what Hardy's work best evokes, reflection on your own choices. The Mayor of Casterbridge is 100+ years old, but it's also progressive in some of its treatment of women. It's easy to judge characters when you feel removed, but if you're an empathetic reader (and person) you put yourself in their shoes.
Not sure what to take away from this one. Don't sell your wife and child at the county fair in a drunken fit? You may rise from it, but your sins will find you out. This is the story of a man who is certainly his own worst enemy, being ruined by his anger, jealousy, and rashness. Kind of a depressing read, but thought-provoking. It reminded me of Macbeth in some ways.
I have officially finished my first classic of 2021 and I LOVED it. I have been a bit hit and miss with Hardy (although I do want to reread some as it’s been a while) so I was a bit trepidatious going in, but the premise of the book sounded amazing. Basically the story starts with a man who, after a number of drinks, sells his wife and daughter at a fair. Fast forward 20 years and he is a very well wealthy and respected man, but his life begins to unravel when his wife and daughter return.
This book is very very plot heavy, and you definitely race through it as the story changes and develops so suddenly. There are so many twists and turns that by the time you finish it makes you feel like the book was at least double the size as so much has happened. To that end I am not going to go into the story any further because it is a book that you just need to pick up and go. With regards to difficulty, I would say that it is probably not a book for a complete novice, but that it is still incredibly readable and understandable.
This book is very very plot heavy, and you definitely race through it as the story changes and develops so suddenly. There are so many twists and turns that by the time you finish it makes you feel like the book was at least double the size as so much has happened. To that end I am not going to go into the story any further because it is a book that you just need to pick up and go. With regards to difficulty, I would say that it is probably not a book for a complete novice, but that it is still incredibly readable and understandable.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Elizabeth-Jane had one messed up life though - I mean, just the number of lies was astounding. she was definitely the best/most level headed character because even when the guy she loved was a 'straight fool' (to quote myself)and MARRIED her best friend she was pretty cool about it.
in terms of plot and structure, this novel was just very well put together. Not the most exciting (if you're looking for standard Hardy drama, this is not your novel) but it plotted really well. took me long enough!
in terms of plot and structure, this novel was just very well put together. Not the most exciting (if you're looking for standard Hardy drama, this is not your novel) but it plotted really well. took me long enough!
I felt like I’d been in a Hardy-slump lately, in my attempt to read 1 Hardy novel a month this year, so veered off the schedule and read this when I was meant to be reading [b:The Trumpet-Major|1128994|The Trumpet-Major|Thomas Hardy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1181228461s/1128994.jpg|1295893]. Like every Hardy novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge is another case of extreme dramatics attempting to illustrate a point.
This reads somewhat different to previous Hardy novels that had become slightly repetitive for me. Instead of the concentration being on an individual female, the main protagonist is a male who is extremely unlikable many times throughout the novel. I don’t think Michael Henchard is necessarily written to be unlikable, but his all too human emotions certainly lead him into a pathetic state of being.
The consequences of attempting to escape your past, the tragedies of a drunken mistake, the all-too convenient coincidences that define your present and future are heavy struggles for Henchard. Although for most of the novel I despised his character, in the end all that’s really left to feel for him is pity.
Often what makes Hardy a very cruel writer is his ability to abuse his powers as the God of his novels. He’s always played it fast and loose with the concept of deus ex machina and many times some of his characters like Henchard react badly to the consequences of Hardy stepping in and taunting their fates. In fact, Henchard might be the worst case I’ve seen yet. And yes, that includes [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389403264s/50798.jpg|41342119], which frankly drew no sympathy from me at all.
In the end, I did not like Michael Henchard but I certainly did like this novel a lot. It’s melodramatic, gut wrenching, and beautifully written.
This reads somewhat different to previous Hardy novels that had become slightly repetitive for me. Instead of the concentration being on an individual female, the main protagonist is a male who is extremely unlikable many times throughout the novel. I don’t think Michael Henchard is necessarily written to be unlikable, but his all too human emotions certainly lead him into a pathetic state of being.
The consequences of attempting to escape your past, the tragedies of a drunken mistake, the all-too convenient coincidences that define your present and future are heavy struggles for Henchard. Although for most of the novel I despised his character, in the end all that’s really left to feel for him is pity.
Often what makes Hardy a very cruel writer is his ability to abuse his powers as the God of his novels. He’s always played it fast and loose with the concept of deus ex machina and many times some of his characters like Henchard react badly to the consequences of Hardy stepping in and taunting their fates. In fact, Henchard might be the worst case I’ve seen yet. And yes, that includes [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389403264s/50798.jpg|41342119], which frankly drew no sympathy from me at all.
In the end, I did not like Michael Henchard but I certainly did like this novel a lot. It’s melodramatic, gut wrenching, and beautifully written.