FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (British Classics Series) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Historical Romance NovelBy Thomas Hardy
Length17h 41m
About this audiobook
Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) is a richly textured pastoral novel set in Wessex, the semi-imagined rural landscape that became central to his fiction. It follows the independent Bathsheba Everdene and the three men whose differing forms of love—Gabriel Oak's steadfast devotion, Farmer Boldwood's obsessive idealization, and Sergeant Troy's reckless seduction—shape her moral and emotional education. Blending realism, biblical allusion, tragic irony, and lyrical descriptions of agricultural life, the novel stands at the threshold between Victorian social comedy and Hardy's darker later tragedies. Hardy, born in Dorset in 1840, drew deeply on the speech, customs, labor, and changing social structures of rural southwest England. Trained as an architect before becoming a novelist and poet, he possessed both a precise eye for physical environment and a profound sensitivity to class, gender, and fate. His knowledge of village life and skepticism toward conventional moral certainties inform the novel's humane complexity. This edition is recommended to readers seeking a major Victorian classic that is both accessible and intellectually rewarding. It offers romance, psychological insight, social observation, and a compelling meditation on patience, desire, and moral growth.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics, Romance
Length17 hrs 41 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 8, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1It is Never Too Late to Mend (Annotated)
34Chapter 28 The Hollow Amid the Ferns
2Introduction
35Chapter 29 Particulars of a Twilight Walk
3Synopsis
36Chapter 30 Hot Cheeks and Tearful Eyes
4Historical Context
37Chapter 31 Blame — Fury
5Author Biography
38Chapter 32 Night — Horses Tramping
Show all chaptersShow less
6Preface
39Chapter 33 In the Sun — A Harbinger
7Chapter 1 Description of Farmer Oak — An Incident
40Chapter 34 Home Again — A Trickster
8Chapter 2 Night — The Flock — An Interior — Another Interior
41Chapter 35 At an Upper Window
9Chapter 3 A Girl on Horseback — Conversation
42Chapter 36 Wealth in Jeopardy — The Revel
10Chapter 4 Gabriel’s Resolve — The Visit — The Mistake
43Chapter 37 The Storm — The Two Together
11Chapter 5 Departure of Bathsheba — A Pastoral Tragedy
44Chapter 38 Rain — One Solitary Meets Another
12Chapter 6 The Fair — The Journey — The Fire
45Chapter 39 Coming Home — A Cry
13Chapter 7 Recognition — A Timid Girl
46Chapter 40 On Casterbridge Highway
14Chapter 8 The Malthouse — The Chat — News
47Chapter 41 Suspicion — Fanny is Sent for
15Chapter 9 The Homestead — A Visitor — Half-confidences
48Chapter 42 Joseph and his Burden
16Chapter 10 Mistress and Men
49Chapter 43 Fanny’s Revenge
17Chapter 11 Outside the Barracks — Snow — A Meeting
50Chapter 44 Under a Tree — Reaction
18Chapter 12 Farmers — A Rule — In Exception
51Chapter 45 Troy’s Romanticism
19Chapter 13 Sortes Sanctorum — The Valentine
52Chapter 46 The Gurgoyle: Its Doings
20Chapter 14 Effect of the Letter — Sunrise
53Chapter 47 Adventures by the Shore
21Chapter 15 A Morning Meeting — The Letter Again
54Chapter 48 Doubts Arise — Doubts Linger
22Chapter 16 All Saints’ and All Souls’
55Chapter 49 Oak’s Advancement — A Great Hope
23Chapter 17 In the Market-place
56Chapter 50 The Sheep Fair — Troy touches his wife’s hand
24Chapter 18 Boldwood in Meditation — Regret
57Chapter 51 Bathsheba talks with her outrider
25Chapter 19 The Sheep-washing — The Offer
58Chapter 52 Converging Courses
26Chapter 20 Perplexity — Grinding the Shears — A Quarrel
59Chapter 53 Concurritur — Horae Momento
27Chapter 21 Troubles in the Fold — A Message
60Chapter 54 After the Shock
28Chapter 22 The Great Barn and the Sheep-shearers
61Chapter 55 The March Following — “Bathsheba Boldwood”
29Chapter 23 Eventide — A Second Declaration
62Chapter 56 Beauty in Loneliness — After All
30Chapter 24 The Same Night — The Fir Plantation
63A Foggy Night and Morning — Conclusion
31Chapter 25 The New Acquaintance Described
64Analysis
32Chapter 26 Scene on the Verge of the Hay-mead
65Reflection
33Chapter 27 Hiving the Bees
66Memorable Quotes
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