Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd

Jessica Kate Webb (Cardiff University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1874

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Far from the Madding Crowd's 1874 publication constitutes a defining moment in Thomas Hardy's literary career. Although he had already published various poems as well as three novels: Desperate Remedies (1871), Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), and A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873), his fourth book would prove to be the one that made him famous. Drawing upon childhood memories rich in countryside songs, folk tales, and superstition, and demonstrating an intimate knowledge of nature, all of Hardy's early novels, but perhaps especially Far from the Madding Crowd, reflect the rural communities and landscapes of early-Victorian Dorset.

More specifically, Far from the Madding Crowd was …

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2340 words

Citation: Webb, Jessica Kate. "Far from the Madding Crowd". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5192, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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