Fiction

The older well-to-do gentleman farmer, the dashing cavalry officer, or the steadfast shepherd—whom will accidental tenant farmer Bathsheba Everdene choose? Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel that first established his international reputation, asks and answers that question. But, because this is Thomas Hardy, the course of true love is fraught with perils, tragic accidents of fate, well-meaning rustics, and—sheep. This is one of the great 19th century love stories, written by a master novelist/poet whose lifelong literary celebration of his beloved Dorset countryside is nowhere better displayed than here. This four-week Delve will explore Hardy’s mastery of place, country customs, and a now-departed way of life that can only be found…Far From the Madding Crowd. For this Delve, the guide strongly recommends…