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A review by happylilkt
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
5.0
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.
...Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd,
Or wak'd to ecstasy the living lyre.
...Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flow'r is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
...Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
(Excerpts from Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray)
“When farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread, till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears, his eyes were reduced to mere chinks, and diverging wrinkles appeared round them, extending upon his countenance like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun.”
While I can't say I like Far From the Madding Crowd better than [b:The Return of the Native|32650|The Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403182613l/32650._SY75_.jpg|3140534], which is quite deliciously tragic, I can absolutely say that I like the introduction better. In the beginning, we are introduced to Farmer Oak: "[whose] special power, morally, physically, and mentally, was static." How appropriately named he is! The chapters that define the character and constancy of Gabriel Oak are some of my favorite passages of this novel and anyone who knows me knows that I love that beneath his simple manly exterior is a romantic appreciation for nature and beauty:
"Being a man not without a frequent consciousness that there was some charm in this life he led, he stood still after looking at the sky as a useful instrument, and regarded it in an appreciative spirit, as a work of art superlatively beautiful. For a moment he seemed impressed with the speaking loneliness of the scene, or rather with the complete abstraction from all its compass of the sights and sounds of man."
And yet, in spite of my love of Gabriel Oak, I do think ultimately this is Bathsheba Everdene's story. Bathsheba is young, spirited, and at times a little vain and proud, but she is so pretty and young, that's not a huge surprise, is it? Her independence is striking and seems to work in spite of the male-dominated nature of the work because of her intelligence, strong work ethic, her honesty and her kindness. But, no, she is not meek! “I shall be up before you are awake; I shall be afield before you are up; and I shall have breakfasted before you are afield. In short, I shall astonish you all.”and “I don’t see why a maid should take a husband when she’s bold enough to fight her own battles.” (and “Well, what I mean is that I shouldn’t mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband.” haha! This is a great heroine!)
I will stop now as to avoid giving spoilers. I am absolutely looking forward to reading [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389403264l/50798._SY75_.jpg|41342119] in April, even though I hear it's his saddest. Thomas Hardy is without a doubt now on my short list of favorite novelists.
Other Favorite Quotations
“We learn that it is not the rays which bodies absorb, but those which they reject, that give them the colours they are known by; and in the same way people are specialized by their dislikes and antagonisms, whilst their goodwill is looked upon as no attribute at all.”
“It appears that ordinary men take wives because possession is not possible without marriage, and that ordinary women accept husbands because marriage is not possible without possession.”
“It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”
“She was of the stuff of which great men’s mothers are made. She was indispensable to high generation, feared at tea-parties, hated in shops, and loved at crises.”
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the poor.
...Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd,
Or wak'd to ecstasy the living lyre.
...Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear:
Full many a flow'r is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
...Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.
(Excerpts from Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray)
“When farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread, till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears, his eyes were reduced to mere chinks, and diverging wrinkles appeared round them, extending upon his countenance like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun.”
While I can't say I like Far From the Madding Crowd better than [b:The Return of the Native|32650|The Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403182613l/32650._SY75_.jpg|3140534], which is quite deliciously tragic, I can absolutely say that I like the introduction better. In the beginning, we are introduced to Farmer Oak: "[whose] special power, morally, physically, and mentally, was static." How appropriately named he is! The chapters that define the character and constancy of Gabriel Oak are some of my favorite passages of this novel and anyone who knows me knows that I love that beneath his simple manly exterior is a romantic appreciation for nature and beauty:
"Being a man not without a frequent consciousness that there was some charm in this life he led, he stood still after looking at the sky as a useful instrument, and regarded it in an appreciative spirit, as a work of art superlatively beautiful. For a moment he seemed impressed with the speaking loneliness of the scene, or rather with the complete abstraction from all its compass of the sights and sounds of man."
And yet, in spite of my love of Gabriel Oak, I do think ultimately this is Bathsheba Everdene's story. Bathsheba is young, spirited, and at times a little vain and proud, but she is so pretty and young, that's not a huge surprise, is it? Her independence is striking and seems to work in spite of the male-dominated nature of the work because of her intelligence, strong work ethic, her honesty and her kindness. But, no, she is not meek! “I shall be up before you are awake; I shall be afield before you are up; and I shall have breakfasted before you are afield. In short, I shall astonish you all.”and “I don’t see why a maid should take a husband when she’s bold enough to fight her own battles.” (and “Well, what I mean is that I shouldn’t mind being a bride at a wedding, if I could be one without having a husband.” haha! This is a great heroine!)
I will stop now as to avoid giving spoilers. I am absolutely looking forward to reading [b:Jude the Obscure|50798|Jude the Obscure|Thomas Hardy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389403264l/50798._SY75_.jpg|41342119] in April, even though I hear it's his saddest. Thomas Hardy is without a doubt now on my short list of favorite novelists.
Other Favorite Quotations
“We learn that it is not the rays which bodies absorb, but those which they reject, that give them the colours they are known by; and in the same way people are specialized by their dislikes and antagonisms, whilst their goodwill is looked upon as no attribute at all.”
“It appears that ordinary men take wives because possession is not possible without marriage, and that ordinary women accept husbands because marriage is not possible without possession.”
“It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”
“She was of the stuff of which great men’s mothers are made. She was indispensable to high generation, feared at tea-parties, hated in shops, and loved at crises.”