Customer Reviews

The Mayor of Casterbridge

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

When one finishes "Casterbridge," one is immediately struck by its place in the development of the novel. Hardy came after Dickens and before James, and his style intrigues as you connect parts of it to the former, parts to the latter.

His plotting is sort of Dickens "lite." There are mysterious benefactors, sudden tragic deaths, reversals of fortune, paternity mysteries, ect. His prose is cleaner and easier to read than both Dickens and James; "Casterbridge" scans better than "Bleak House" or "The Wings of the Dove."

The story begins when a pastoral laborer, in a drunken rage, sells his wife and child one evening (I hate it when that happens...). When he wakes the next morning, abhorred at what he has done, he swears off liquor and decides to make something of his life. The novel truly begins eighteen years later, when his wife and daughter come back to present themselves to him. In the course of the rest of the novel, we witness the fall of the now Mayor of Casterbridge, brought about by his own character flaws and the interventions of fate.

Henchard, the main character, is a facinating combination of hot-spirited volition and turn-on-a-dime repentance. He is quick to do things which damn him but just as quick to admit his guilt. He is a wonderful character and a precursor to the later "psychological" novels of James and Forster. The satellite characters remind one of Dickens, but they are not nearly as startling and interesting, but of course, a character such as Henchard never existed in all of Dickens.

The novel proceeds to its forgone conclusion inexorably, albiet with a few melodromatic touches, yet it sustains its tone and readibility due mostly to Henchard, and the dramatic situations Hardy puts him through.

Well worth a look.

Since I have decided to dedicate part of my time spent reading in 2003 to the classics, I started first with The Mayor of Casterbridge, not the most famous of Hardy's works but seemingly a good place to start. I will definitely read the other works by this author since I was so captivated by this book.

The novel begins with the sale of Michael Henchard's wife and child to the highest bidder at a local summer fair. Henchard is drunk and his wife, tired of his habits, decides to leave with the sailor who bids on her and her daughter. Henchard wakes up the next morning, somewhat remorseful for what he has done and vows not to drink for twenty-one years.

The very next chapter picks up the story nineteen years later, with the return of the wife and child into Henchard's life. Henchard is now quite wealthy and is such an important man in his community, he is now Mayor of Casterbridge. From here, a series of wrong decisions and misunderstandings lead to the devastating conclusion.

Hardy is well known for his tendency towards gloomy endings and this book certainly fits the mold. But he is also well known for his lyrical descriptions of the English countryside and describing a way of life which had disappeared even in his own time. There were beautiful passages about the hay carts being driven through town, loaded so high that people on the second floor of homes could reach out and touch the top of the hay. Small details abound, describing the sound of rain on trees and the smell of the local foods. But perhaps the most significant aspect of the novel for me was the feeling that Henchard had wished for everything that had happened to him, and all of his wishes came true, and thus ultimately his downfall. These wishes were almost all made in a rash moment, when perhaps a minute or more of reflection could have produced a clearer head. Yet Henchard lives by his instincts, since for almost twenty years they seemed to serve him well.

I would recommend this book to any serious literature lover and I believe it serves as a good introduction to his other works. His books serve as a bridge from Victorian literature to modern literature, with no happy endings guaranteed.

At first I was forced to read "The Mayor of Casterbridge" in school more than 12 years ago. Reading it slowly made an impact on my life. This book always served a special purpose in my life. It introduced me to the wide world of Literature. It sort of enlighten my interest and liking for English literature. Now re-reading it not only brought back fond memories of my yester school days but also renewed my liking to one of the greatest writer of all time Thomas Hardy.

Through this novel I came to the understanding of Irony and oxymoron. Hardy totally wrote with a sense of awareness of human characteristic and he had a amazing style of mixed humour with tragedy.

His protagonist,Michael Henchard's life was under the microscope of Hardy.

I love the way the story began I quote:"ONE evening of late summer, before the nineteenth century had reached one-third of its span, a young man and woman, the latter carrying a child, were approaching the large village of Weydon-Priors, in Upper Wessex, on foot. " I love the Englishness and the sense of intriguing events that would follow...

In brief, Michael Henchard was a drunk who sold his wife and daughter at the fair. Later he realised his mistakes he work real hard and eventually became the mayor of Casterbridge. His life took another twist 20 years later when his wife and daughter came back to his life plus a few more other characters adding on the complexity of his life.Soonafter events unfolded and many things became to go against his way and then came his downfall. Indeed Michael Henchard's rise and fall were filled with compelling details and his encounters with numerous intestering people.

What I love most about this novel was the way Hardy depicted Henchard's behaviours and thoughts and totally enhanced his weak character and irresponsibleness with dashes of ironies. His sardonic literary style were brilliant and at the same time he also vividly described the scenery and situations. Another greatest of Hardy was his ability to create innovative characters still account for in modern contemporary days and he was a pioneer in analysising human's weakness and blended it into his creation. It's a vintage classic,psychoanalytic and intriguingly written ,a must read for all books lover.

I'm re-reading this book that thrilled me years ago and thrills me today. Now, however, I realize just how "modern" it is, even more so than the works of Dickens, whom I also revere, but whose writing had a quaint quality that actually makes him the lesser artist, in my opinion. Hardy's writing is spare but nothing is left out. You feel it, you taste it, you live it. It has the firm, sure quality of a minimalist work of art, and yet the twists and turns of its plot are dizzying. I detect its influence on novelist Toni Morrison, I might add. I'd be willing to bet she's a Hardy scholar. I read many passages, many scenes, that reminded me of her "folksy" conceits. And I was amazed at Hardy's contemporary understanding of addiction, in this case alcoholism. In fact, Henchard is a "dry drunk." He abstains from liquor for 21 years, but his character defects and lack of spiritual awareness catapault him right back into his disease when he begins drinking again. In fact, his life spirals out of control faster and faster with his first return to drink, showing that alcoholism, like all addictions, is a progressive disease. A reviewer here said the book was depressing, and that Hardy is dark. However, the "light" in Hardy comes with his wisdom, not unlike Faulkner's, of human nature. There are so many themes of the enduring truths that one is uplifted just by the reading. Sometimes I mourn for the writers I will never meet, the ones who have passed on. Their teaching is so important to my own spiritual and artistic growth, that I have experienced a great love from them and for them. Hardy is one of those for me. Wherever he dwells now, I send him my appreciation.

When Thomas Hardy penned The Mayor of Casterbridge, he brought to life a very authentic character in Michael Henchard. He is possibly the perfect tragic character. The only other character I can think of to compare him to as I struggle to describe him and the story - for he is so much the story - is King Lear. But where Lear was a King who was foolish, Michael is the common man, a simple hay trusser, with several character flaws ... most notably shortsightedness and a desire to "be on top". He at no point feels something that most people don't but where we restrain our first rash and selfish actions (most of the time), he goes full out until he has cost himself everything and too late finds redemption. His flaw is insidious and all too common, so we relate easily even through his most outrageous misadventures.

In a fit of drunken despondency, feeling that he is being pulled down by the responsibility of being a twenty-one year old husband and father, he jests that he would gladly part with his wife and daughter for the sum of five pounds. After having sworn this so vehemently for the entire evening, he has little recourse when someone takes him up on it and his wife, in shame and anger, agrees to go with the purchaser, taking their daughter with her. When sobriety brings full realization, it also brings a vow of temperance from Michael who in the following fifteen years builds himself up to a position respectability and public admiration in the nearby town of Casterbridge.

Though he seems to have learned his lesson, we are only on chapter two and his story is just beginning as his wife and child return and his friendship with a trusted friend and critical advisor becomes a bitter rivalry. Time and again he demands allegiance when he need only ask it and return it in kind.

Hardy's writing style is direct and straight-forward with no flourishes like you might find with Dickens or Twain. He has a story to tell and he tells it - no swashbuckling adventures like DeFoe or Dumas. However you feel about that, the character of Michael Henchard continues to skulk around in my head. He represents to me a very real possibility of personal failure and haunts my mind now just as Scrooge's deceased partner haunted him in A Christmas Carol. I would have given this book a fun factor of three stars when I first read it. Now I give it five stars because I have had the time to realize what a masterful job Hardy did when he created Michael Henchard.

Having thoroughly detested Tess of the d'Urbervilles for its overload of melodrama and odious characters, I was hesitant to It often seems that to be considered a classic, a work must be both lengthy and tragic. Mayor is indeed a tragedy, but unlike start on another novel by Hardy. It was then a happy surprise to find that The Mayor of Casterbridge, though less famous than Tess, is an infinitely more enjoyable work.

Tess, it succeeds in drawing sympathy from the reader. Thomas Hardy's irony is also much in evidence, and he comes across as quite witty. The result is a concise and interesting mixture of humor and tragedy in which characters are reasonably likable. Henchard is impetuous and comes to his end almost entirely through his own actions, but his actions are always motivated by realistic emotions and there is nothing overblown or melodramatic about his downfall. Because he is so human and flawed, it is far easier to feel sorry for him than it was for Tess, Hardy's embodiment of the perfect woman.

There are, of course, elements in Hardy's style that do not change from novel to novel. His writing remains very Victorian and therefore rather ornate and longwinded. Nor is the melodrama absent from Mayor-- events often take on such an absurd turn that the reader is left momentarily with the impression of a soap opera. The plot relies heavily on coincidences, reminiscent somewhat of Dickens, and things work out so neatly and implausibly that incredulity must be firmly restrained.

It is worth it, though. Beneath the superficial plot lie careful writing and hidden parallels. The elaborate Biblical Saul and David parallel with Henchard and Farfrae throughout emphasizes the unchangeability of human nature (the love/hate relationship between Henchard and Farfrae) and the cyclical rise and fall from power. Hardy also uses limited third person narration that allows the reader to know the characters and events only through their actions and conversations, further evidence of a meticulously constructed novel. In a refreshing change, Mayor moves along quickly with virtually no extraneous events.

The Mayor of Casterbridge is an unusual book, and one that can be understood on multiple levels. On one, it is the simple story of the fall of a proud man; on another, it is a retold Biblical story, updated but not deprived of its original power. And though I never thought to say this about Hardy's novels, The Mayor of Casterbridge also does pretty well as entertainment...

Ailanna

The first book I read out of Thomas Hardy's many works was "Far from the Madding Crowd" back in my secondary school days. I immediately fell in love with Hardy. Reading "The Mayor of Casterbridge" only confirmed that my liking for Hardy's works was not misplaced. The Mayor of Casterbridge is absolutely brilliant as the author uses his perceptive insights into the human nature to create very realistic characters with complex personalities. For example, Henchard is an alcoholic who suffers from many of the accompanying afflictions that include low self-esteem, shame, guilt, self-castigation, self-punishment, loneliness, a death wish, and a tendency to depression.

The book starts in the first chapter with a dramatic masterpiece that perfectly sets the tone and theme for the rest of the novel. A young man named Michael Henchard and his wife Susan and baby daughter Elizabeth-Jane enter a village where Henchard hopes to find work. They go to a country fair where Henchard, an alcoholic, gets drunk and sells his wife and baby to a sailor. Once Henchard sobers up, he realizes his mistake, and searches, in vain, to retrieve his family. Abhorred at what he has done, he swears off liquor and decides to make something of his life. The story unravels nineteen years later, when his wife and daughter come back to present themselves to him. In the course of the rest of the novel, Henchard who was now the Mayor of Casterbridge falls from grace, this being a result of his own character flaws and the hand of fate.

I enjoy reading Hardy's impressive prose, which is strong, sharp and descriptive. The various scenes the author describes are filled with vivid and compelling imagery that leave one wanting to read more and more. Thomas Hardy is especially adept at describing the environment which he has a deep seated love for. The ironic twists of fate provide a setting that demonstrates the brilliant writer that Hardy is where he expertly weaves a plot that shows the themes of the balance between fate and individual choice. That makes The Mayor of Casterbridge very pleasant to read despite the sad story.

For those who wish to study English Literature, The Mayor of Casterbridge is on the top of the recommended list. The book provides exceptional descriptions of England and its culture as well as exposing the student to themes of profound gravity and importance. The book provides clear and concise explanations, dialogue and emotional energy. It is well-written, is easy-to-understand and to follow.

Having never read Hardy before, I picked this book at random off a list provided by my Western Civilization teacher. I can't help but attribute my choice to destiny; this is quite possibly the best book I've ever read, written by the single greatest English author in history. While some other reviewers have classified his descriptive passages as somewhat dull, I thought they were rather intoxicating; I don't know how one could not enjoy the superbly vivid style Hardy employs. It's impossible to really describe his writing to one who hasn't read it.

The plot in Mayor of Casterbridge is compelling throughout. I read somewhere that the book was originally published a few chapters at a time in a literary magazine, and this is quite evident, as every many sections seem individually complete with rising action, climax, resolution, etc. Hardy still manages to integrate these individual sections without flaw and create a wonderful composition of the life of Henchard. As everyone else has testified, the conclusion of the book is moving beyond description- without a doubt the most affective book I've ever read. Be forewarned: this is a book that will surely leave the reader in a depressed and brooding state. Going by Kafka's standard, that a book should be "like a suicide... an axe for the frozen sea within us", The Mayor of Casterbridge is surely one of just a handful of the great books in English literature.

I can understand the polarity of opinion about this book. And you certainly don't want to be reading Thomas Hardy while listening to Leonard Cohen. Don't dismiss the negative comments out of hand - Hardy is probably not for all tastes.
In my case though, as a student disinterested in reading, this novel turned me into a reader. It has a "heavy" style, but I think it was this depth that appealed to me most - that, and the obvious devotion Hardy felt toward his beloved Wessex (strange how this passion of the author for his countryside seems to me more forcefully written than most other stories where passion is thematic). Of course I have since read all the Wessex novels but this remains my favorite, and probably my favorite novel of all.
Still, not an easy recommendation.

I was nearly put off reading this by friends who termed it "depressing". This trivialises it, for it is, to my mind, truly tragic. In a shockingly irresponsible drunken act, protagonist Michael Henchard sells his wife at a local fair. The consequences, stretching over a couple of decades, sweep away both him and other characters.

The plot teems with journeys, coincidences, long-lost people showing up, and a strong vein of morality. In typical Hardyesque style, Henchard moves from the height of civic success to bankruptcy and alienation. A quasi-Greek-tragedy air of fate prevails, but Hardy manages to keep suspense alive. Protagonist and antagonist (Farfrae) are pitted against each other on civic and domestic fronts. There is not one Mayor of Casterbridge, but two, and success, failure and rivalry play a large part. There is also competition among the males as lovers, husbands and fathers.

This novel gives an insight into civic life, the worthy burgesses of Casterbridge networking in their council-rooms and taverns. But the animal instincts of the wife-sale, the gutter-press viciousness of the locals' "skimmity-ride", and the proximity of the countryside, where so many Victorian characters wander to survive and to lay bare their feelings, reveal the fragility of civilisation and our urban constructs.

Great stuff.