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), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1874

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

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 significant for Hardy both professionally and personally. After deciding to turn his back on an architecture

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2340 words

Citation: Webb, Jessica Kate. "Far from the Madding Crowd". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5192, accessed 04 May 2024.]

Save this article