The Book
Far From the Madding Crowd is set in a place called Wessex -- originally a region in pre-Norman Britain which Hardy adapted into a fictional land for his books. The geographical equivalent in modern England is the rural county of Dorset. To condense the plot to one sentence, this novel is about a young, attractive woman who has three suitors, all of which are appealing in their own way, but she is too wild, headstrong, and childish to chose one and reject the others. Bathsheba Everdene is the epitome of a child who is trying, desperately, to be an independent woman but doesn't understand the world enough to make mature decisions until the last chapter of the book. So here is a synopsis, in order of the suitors who approach Bathsheba.
Suitor One: Gabriel Oak. The novel begins with Gabriel and Bathsheba meeting when our heroine is working on her aunt's farm near Gabriel's small sheep farm. Gabriel quickly falls in love with Bathsheba; he proposes and is rejected. After his inexperienced sheep-dog drives his flock of sheep over a cliff, thus ruining poor Farmer Oak, he sells the farm and sets off toward the nearest town to find work. As he searches for work, he comes upon a burning barn and he rushes to help put out the flames. He is approached by the owner and asks for a job, only to discover that the owner is Bathsheba, the recent heiress of a large fortune and farm.
Suitor Two: William Boldwood. Bathsheba undertakes the management of the farm herself, a highly unusual occurrence in rural, Victorian England. When she goes to sell grain at a local market, she first encounters Farmer Boldwood -- a wealthy, middle aged, eligible bachelor. She peaks his interest when she send him a valentine with a wax seal saying "Marry Me" as a joke. The besotted man does not understand the joke and begins to pursue Bathsheba. Gabriel chides Bathsheba's behavior, and she fires him. When her sheep get sick and are dying, she is forced to beg Gabriel to come back to help save her flock, which he does willingly.
Suitor Three: Sergeant Francis Troy. Walking home late one evening, Bathsheba bumps into Sergeant Troy and becomes entangled with him. While trying to get her dress untangled, Troy remarks that she was beautiful. Bathsheba rebukes him and hurries away. A few days later, he impresses her with his swordsmanship and her hatred turns into infatuation. Gabriel warns Bathsheba that Troy is a scoundrel, but she takes no heed. They meet in Bath and are married. Upon returning, Sergeant Troy throws a wedding feast; he and all the rest of the farm workers get exceedingly drunk. Gabriel warns Bathsheba that a storm is coming, and the two of them struggle to get the crops covered so that they are not destroyed.
The Troys encounter a girl on the road who Frank discovers to be his lost lover, Fanny Robin. Trying to keep Bathsheba ignorant of the girl, he sends her ahead and gives Fanny some money with the promise of finding her soon. But before they could rendezvous, Fanny dies giving birth to Frank's child. Fanny and child are brought to Bathsheba's estate, as that location was her last place of employment, and Bathsheba's servant informs her of rumors that Fanny and Frank were lovers. Upon opening to coffin, she discovers Fanny, along with her child. Frank enters the room, kisses the corpse, and informs his wife that the dead woman means more to him than she ever will. Frank leaves and goes swimming in the ocean, leaving his clothes upon the sand, and is picked up by a boat. After he fails to return for a year, he is presumed drowned.
Farmer Boldwood renews his attentions toward Bathsheba. On Christmas Eve, Troy returns and confronts Bathsheba at Boldwood's Christmas party. Boldwood shoots Troy and kills him. He is imprisoned for insanity and Troy is buried with Fanny and their child. When Bathsheba's farm is secured, Gabriel informs her of his intention to leave for America. Confused by his intention to leave and desperate to keep him by her side, she confronts him, asking for his reasons, and he admits that her reputation was his main motive. He proposes and they are married.
This novel is more about a child becoming an adult through trials and grief, and less about a good love story. Bathsheba marries Troy out of passion, agrees to marry Boldwood out of convenience and logic, and finally marries Gabriel out of love and respect. Gabriel displays unending devotion, concern for her well-being, and genuine desire for her to succeed and be happy, which Bathsheba is too immature to recognize at the beginning to the book but cannot live without by the end. Gradually she realizes what she needs, not what she wants, and marries the man who completes her inadequacies.
The Adaptation
I finished this book in April, and was unable to watch the adaptation until last week because no theater in the entire state of Texas was showing it (despite the fact that the local theater had a movie poster up, but you know, details.) Finally, it came out on DVD and an Amazon order was promptly placed. It was worth the wait. This is the best Hollywood adaptation (as opposed to BBC adaptations) that I have ever encountered. They thoroughly botched the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and did an adequate job with the 2012 adaptation of Great Expectations, and frankly there haven't been many other classic British literature adaptations since then.
From costuming to sticking to Hardy's original plot line, this adaptation was the level of quality I would expect from the BBC. The minor changes they made were to simplify the story and condense a 500 page book into a two hour film -- all changes that did not alter the plot line, just failed to enhance the depth of the characters.
As this was the first Thomas Hardy novel that I have read, I cannot compare it to his other novels. His writing style is poetic and romantic, similar to other 19th century authors. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, and the film adaptation as well, and I cannot wait until I can explore more of his works.
