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This is the only work by Hardy I have read, so maybe I picked the one which didn't happen to suit my own tastes in novels. Although I sound critical, this book is still worthwhile reading and I recommend it for the enjoyment it brings in depicting rural English life and society in the mid 1800 s. Based on overwhelming positive reviews of this classic work I had high expectations and hoped to get more in terms of plot, characterization, and writing style. In spite of my disappointment, I did find enough intrigue to satisfy my curiosity and encourage me to read the book to its end.
I enjoyed the country folk and the descriptions of their bucolic and simple lives in the English countryside in the 1800 s. The peasants obediently accepted their places in society and performed their duties by plowing fields, sheering sheep, and picking apples, while eking out the tiniest morsels of fun and enjoyment they could under their circumstances. Their honest excitement in the simple pleasures of ale and cider, meals and markets, and gossip and rumors were the essence of the story to me, offering a fascinating glimpse of pre-industrial-revolution English country-life and society. As to the criticisms I have, I felt Hardy took longer than necessary to express what he was doing with this story. It's not that I don't like long books.
I have read some over 1, 000 pages and never wanted them to end. With this novel, however, I just didn't get that "reading high" to where I couldn't let the book get out of my hands. The self-sacrificing Gabriel Oak, as his namesake says, portrayed a man as strong as an oak, with a rock-solid and virtuous character. He was so dependable and upright that he came across as self-righteous, in my opinion. On the other hand, he was so love-struck by Bathsheba that he often turned into mush, mirroring the love-sick, whining, pining John Read who exasperated me in Blackmore's Lorna Done. Bathsheba was as tough as nails with the men who loved her most, but turned into jelly when dealing with the one man whom she adored but who did not requite her love in kind.
Farmer Boldwood was a very mild-mannered, stoic, and proper layman farmer, exhibiting a latent, mentally disturbed personality. I am not sure if I was supposed to dislike the guy, feel sorry for him, or root for him in his obsessive pursuit of Bathsheba's hand in marriage. And when it came to Troy's behavior and personality, you couldn't figure him out. He came across as either a very commendable but misguided individual or an absolute evil louse. You didn't know until the end, but I guess that is what holds our interest in novels. When I finished the book I noticed on the back cover a commentary stating that FFTMC was not well received after it was published.
In fact, it said that Hardy's peers were quite critical of the work. I too agree with them to some extent. One author quoted as expressing his dislike of this book was Henry James, who in my opinion is a much better writer. Although I am inclined to leave Hardy alone and read books written by authors I prefer more, I plan to read another of his books to satisfy my curiosity to know whether this story was an anomaly or whether I personally cannot find enjoyment in reading Hardy. The result, I hope, will be the latter.
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