Respond to these quotes from Richard Carpenter's criticism:
"Bathsheba's problems do not arise alone from ambivalent desire; for, as with other protagonists, she is subjected to the influences of Chance and Time, which destroy the stable patterns of rural life and make breaches for character to expoit. Far From the Madding Crowd is not so donimated by these forces as is, say, Tess of the d'Urbervilles; nevertheless with them it could not take the course it does."
"Far From the Madding Crowd is, then, Hardy's first undeniably assured venture into the realm where he was to have his greatest success. In it he developed some of his most characteristic and effective modes, from the centrally tragic figure to the symbolic landscape to the rustic chorus. In it, especially, we see in clear form for the first time the mythic and psychological patters which he was to employ so effectively as he went on."
8 comments:
The first quote is disscusing how unlike Tess, Far does not have much of an "influence of chance and time, which destroy the stable pattern of rural life." I agree with this statement all though in far when Oak by chance falls asleep on a wagon that ends up taking him to where bathsheba is, in the end this doesn't have a huge impact.
The secound one is talking about how far is hardy's greatest success and I would agree, because far seems to attract all who read it. It has the more modern romance with the women makeing the choice rather then the male character. The reader also get to try and figure out witch one because Bathsheba has three opposite male characters with all different kinds of lifestyles to deside on witch one she wants.In far Hardy brings his symbolic landscape to capture the readers imagination.
I would say that Richard Carpenter's criticism is positive towards Hardy. He is recomandeing people read his book Far From The Madding Crowd.
AS I recall Mr.Getty stateing that Far from the Madding Crowd was the first novel that Hardy had written. He wrote it in a way that would not scare people away from reading it. He wanted them to read his other novels too. So yes there are many differences between Far and Tess. I don't like the word "destroy" because Hardy doesn't really destroy the patterns of rural life; he just doesn't follow the pattern. Hardy realized that to make his book more interesting, he would have to create much conflict between the characters. In order to do that he has to have Bathsheba be a strong woman and let her choose who she wants to marry. Otherwise, it's almost like reading a biography. In Tess he goes back to writing about the pattern of rural life but he criticizes it. He adds a spin to his novels instead of just writing about the patterns of rural life because in Hardy's time, everyone knew what the rural life was like and it would be boring to read about something you already know. This is why Tess was not a commonly read book in Hardy's time because it criticized the way people lived and they didn't like that.
i agree with richard carpenter's first quote here, bathsheba's problems are all brought about because of chance. for example, when Bathsheba and Troy are coming from Casterbridge and they meet Fanny Robin along the way. this meeting happens by chance and really is where the marriage begins to fall apart. there is nothing that Bathsheba could have done to change this situation. although this specific situation was completely by chance what happened (Troy reuniting with Fanny Robin) was inevitable. Hardy has a reoccuring theme of fate in all of his novels, and although i do agree that many of Bathsheba's problems stem from chance i believe that all of her problems would have eventually happened based on fate.
I don't feel that its fair to completely blame all of Bathsheba's actions on the fact that she was "subjected to the influences of Chance and Time." Bathsheba had more power throughout the novel than she realized. Being a woman, she probably shouldn't have been placed in the role of looking after the farm, according to views back then. Had Bathsheba had more strength, she wouldn't have married Troy, and wouldn't have given up much of the power she once had. It was Bathsheba's weakness that led her to be involved with Troy, Boldwood and Gabriel practically at the same time. You can't blame anyone but Bathsheba for her poor decisions that led to her downfall. If it is true that Bathsheba was subjected to chance and time, then it's only right to say that Tess was as well. It was chance that Angel walked by at the dance and that she met up with him much later to lead to their eventual relationship. Bathsheba and Tess are both similar in that they are weak individuals who can't make the correct decision.
There are a few incidents in Far that are caused by chance and time such as Gabriel's happening to come upon the fire and meet up with bathsheba and for that matter his happening to be near the road to meet her for the first time and pay for her toll. Gabriel also happens to bump into Fannie before he hears that she has disappeared and happens to be there for other things as well. It is by hapenstance that Bathsheba comes upon Troy and is snagged. I agree with Carpenter on this part but i disagree that Tess is not dominated by these forces as heather said if one is so is the other. Tess could have came to Tallborrow Dairy a few months later and never met Angel; she could have came to the D'Uberville de Stokes when Alec wasn't home and never met him. It was by happenstance that these things occurred and without the influences on chance and time, like most all novels, there wouldn't be a story!
We do see the patterns in Far which lead to his great success of a strong character who is faced with tough decisions and eventually makes a wrong one which messes up their life. The love triange patterns are also shown of Bathsheba having to pick between Troy, Gabriel, and Boldwood. This "spin" as carly named it draws in the readers attention and gets them into the book which otherwise would get a bit boring.
In Carpenter's first quotation, he implies that chance and time influence Bathsheba, destroying her life. I agree with this in a sense because with Time comes age and Bathsheba must settle sometime. She keeps denying men her hand in marriage when deep down she realizes that she doesn't have much time left before she ages as well as the men. We see her settle and start to give into Boldwood before she meets Troy even though she knows that she doesn't and never will love him. She falls to the pressures of time. Chance led her to Troy and she took that "once in a lifetime" opportunity and subjected herself to his powers. She made herself fall in love with him because she realized that she shouldn't deny men anymore or else all her opportunities will be gone.
The second quotation by Carpenter is very accurate in saying that Hardy's characters are "effective" because they are more real than any other characters he has created. Hardy makes a more realistic world in Madding Crowd by forming a confused, chance-like environment. It is chaotic and unpredictable, like reality. He allows the reader to form their own visions and predictions instead of fating every event that comes along.
I agree with Richard Carpenter, Bathsheba’s problems “not only arise from ambivalent desire … she is subjected to the influences of Chance and Time.” Most of Bathsheba’s problems are brought on by chance, it was chance the Oak fell asleep and ended up at her farm, it was chance that her skirt gets caught on Troys spurs, it was by chance that Bathsheba and Troy came across Fanny Robin on their way back from Casterbridge. All these events happen by chance. One thing that Bathsheba could not blame chance on, she could not escape was that Troy would go back to Fanny that was inevitable or as Hardy would saw it was her Fate that Troy would leave her.
Chance, by definition, is an opportunity or a set of circumstances that makes it possible for something to happen. Now Bathsheba could have made the right decisions by not marrying Troy or sending Boldwood that valentine, but chance did set it up that she would have to choose. So, her follies are brought about by a combination of chance and her own bad judgement. If Mr. Troy had never been on that path she would have never been charmed by him, and if Liddy hadn't talked so much about Boldwood, Bathsheba probably wouldn't have sent him that valentine - or also if the book she threw to determine who to send it to had landed differently. But Bathsheba still has to hold responsibility, she wasn't forced to make the wrong choice.
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