Authors: Thomas Hardy, Linda M. Shires, Suzanne B. Falck-Yi
ISBN-13: 9780199537013, ISBN-10: 0199537011
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Date Published: October 2008
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Victorian novelist and poet Thomas Hardy focused much of his work -- including classics like Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) on man's futile struggle against unseen forces. Of his rather unromantic outlook on life, Hardy once said, "Pessimism is, in brief, playing the sure game. You cannot lose at it; you may gain. It is the only view of life in which you can never be disappointed."
A young man falls victim to his own obsession with an amorous farm girl in Thomas Hardy's classic novel of fate and unrequited love.
Hardy's rustic tale of Bathsheba Everdean and her three suitors comes to life through Thorne's expert narrative performance. Hardy's works often change pace and character quickly, a point which Thorne uses advantageously to wind us through this insightful novel. Thorne's interpretation of the text removes the distance which so often exists between Victorian literature and the modern reader. Thorne's performance skills transcend age and gender. The listener can envision each of the workers as they talk and sing in the pub, and Thorne's choice of voices for the four main characters gives added depth and presence. Textual interpretation, pacing and vocal characterization all come together to make Thorne's reading an excellent addition to any collection. J.S.G. AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Biographical Note | ||
Introduction | ||
Map of Wessex | ||
Author's Preface | ||
1 | Description of Farmer Oak - An Incident | 1 |
2 | Night - The Flock - An Interior - Another Interior | 7 |
3 | A Girl on Horseback - Conversation | 15 |
4 | Gabriel's Resolve - The Visit - The Mistake | 24 |
5 | Departure of Bathsheba - A Pastoral Tragedy | 34 |
6 | The Fair - The Journey - The Fire | 40 |
7 | Recognition - A Timid Girl | 51 |
8 | The Malthouse - The Chat - News | 55 |
9 | The Homestead - A Visitor - Half-Confidences | 74 |
10 | Mistress and Men | 81 |
11 | Outside the Barracks - Snow - A Meeting | 88 |
12 | Farmers - A Rule - An Exception | 94 |
13 | Sortes Sanctorum - The Valentine | 100 |
14 | Effect of the Letter - Sunrise | 105 |
15 | A Morning Meeting - The Letter Again | 110 |
16 | All Saints' and All Souls' | 121 |
17 | In the Market-Place | 124 |
18 | Boldwood in Meditation - Regret | 127 |
19 | The Sheep-Washing - The Offer | 132 |
20 | Perplexity - Grinding the Shears - A Quarrel | 138 |
21 | Troubles in the Fold - A Message | 145 |
22 | The Great Barn and the Sheep-Shearers | 152 |
23 | Eventide - A Second Declaration | 163 |
24 | The Same Night - The Fir Plantation | 170 |
25 | The New Acquaintance Described | 177 |
26 | Scene on the Verge of the Hay-Mead | 181 |
27 | Hiving the Bees | 191 |
28 | The Hollow Amid the Ferns | 195 |
29 | Particulars of a Twilight Walk | 201 |
30 | Hot Cheeks and Tearful Eyes | 209 |
31 | Blame - Fury | 214 |
32 | Night - Horses Tramping | 223 |
33 | In the Sun - A Harbinger | 232 |
34 | Home Again - A Trickster | 240 |
35 | At an Upper Window | 251 |
36 | Wealth in Jeopardy - The Revel | 256 |
37 | The Storm - The Two Together | 265 |
38 | Rain - One Solitary Meets Another | 273 |
39 | Coming Home - A Cry | 277 |
40 | On Casterbridge Highway | 282 |
41 | Suspicion - Fanny Is Sent For | 289 |
42 | Joseph and His Burden - Buck's Head | 300 |
43 | Fanny's Revenge | 312 |
44 | Under a Tree - Reaction | 323 |
45 | Troy's Romanticism | 331 |
46 | The Gurgoyle: Its Doings | 336 |
47 | Adventures by the Shore | 344 |
48 | Doubts Arise - Doubts Linger | 347 |
49 | Oak's Advancement - A Great Hope | 353 |
50 | The Sheep Fair - Troy Touches His Wife's Hand | 359 |
51 | Bathsheba Talks with Her Outrider | 374 |
52 | Converging Courses | 383 |
53 | Concurritur - Horae Momento | 394 |
54 | After the Shock | 406 |
55 | The March Following - "Bathsheba Boldwood" | 411 |
56 | Beauty in Loneliness - After All | 416 |
57 | A Foggy Night and Morning - Conclusion | 426 |
Notes | 433 | |
Reading Group Guide | 467 | |
A Note on the Text | 469 |