At the green edge of the world

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On the green edge of the world ( English Far from the Madding Crowd , 1874) is the fourth novel by Thomas Hardy and his first major literary success. This began his so-called "Wessex novels", which later became very famous, named after the fictional landscape in southern England in which all of his novels are set and which was modeled on the region in which Hardy also lived. The novel initially appeared anonymously in 1874 as a series continuation in the Victorian Cornhill Magazine, where it reached a wide readership and made the name of the author known. There were numerous and mostly very positive reviews. Hardy expanded the text extensively for the edition published in 1895, and revised it again for a new edition in 1901.

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Gabriel Oak is a young shepherd, who at the beginning of the novel was 28 years old. With his modest savings and a small loan, he has leased a sheep farm. He falls in love with the newly arrived Bathsheba Everdene, who is eight years his junior, a proud and confident beauty who lives with her aunt Mrs. Hurst. Both get to know each other better and a certain sympathy develops, which remains rather moderate on their side. She explains why, he is skeptical. One night Bathsheba saves the life of the shepherd, who fell asleep in a small hut and was in danger of suffocating because he had not provided enough smoke for the open fire. Shortly afterwards, Gabriel proposes to her. But she rejects him because she appreciates her independence too much and him too little. She explains it to him, he remains skeptical. A few months later, she moves to Weatherbury (a fictional version of Puddletown ) which is a few miles away.

The next time they meet, their circumstances have changed radically. A new shepherd dog, who had no experience with the herd, drove them to death over a steep slope at night when Gabriel was not there. The dog is shot as a punishment. With that Gabriel is financially ruined. He sells everything that is of value and can barely pay off his debts with it, but remains penniless. He is looking for a job in one of the then still existing labor markets in Casterbridge (a fictional version of Dorchester , the closest major town to Hardy's hometown). Finding none, he moves to another market in Shottsford, about ten miles from Weatherbury, where Bathsheba has moved.

On the way there he passes a dangerous fire in a farm and manages to bring the previously inactive and helpless spectators to a joint rescue operation. When the veiled owner comes to thank him, he asks her if she doesn't need a shepherd. She lifts her veil and Gabriel recognizes in her his beloved Bathsheba. She recently inherited her uncle's farm and is now a wealthy woman. She employs Gabriel as a shepherd, although she is not entirely comfortable, and begins - contrary to the customs of the time and the doubts of her farm workers - to run the farm herself as a woman.

Meanwhile, Bathsheba has a new suitor, the lonely bachelor William Boldwood. He's around forty and a very wealthy farmer. Bathsheba caused his ambitions rather involuntarily by sending a Valentine's card to Boldwood as a joke together with her fun-loving servant, with a red seal with the inscription "Marry me". Boldwood does not recognize the joke, considers the request to be serious and begins to be interested in Bathsheba. Shortly afterwards he makes her a marriage proposal. Although Bathsheba doesn't love him, she plays with the idea of ​​responding to his wealth and reputation. But she repeatedly postpones a final decision, and when Gabriel reproaches her for her ruthlessness, she fires him.

Some time later, most of their flocks of sheep get caught in fresh clover and threaten to die from the stomach and intestinal gas that follows . To her chagrin she has to discover that in the short time that remains for an intervention, Gabriel is the only one who knows how to help. She overcomes her pride and asks him for help. Gabriel was able to save a large part of the affected animals with a quick surgical intervention and Bathsheba not only got his job back, but also felt friendly again with her.

Enter the dashing Sergeant Francis 'Frank' Troy. He is from Weatherbury and met Bathsheba there one evening. The initial reluctance on their side gives way to a growing admiration, which is mainly due to his fencing skills. Gabriel sees this new relationship with his 'distantly loved' mistress with displeasure and tries to warn her. He thinks Boldwood is a better choice. Boldwood doesn't like Troy well and offers his rival a larger sum of money to get him to forego Bathsheba. Troy pretends to consider this offer, and when Boldwood realizes how much Troy holds Bathsheba in his hand and plays with her, he even offers the sum, provided Troy will keep his promises to Bathsheba. Troy later scornfully makes it clear that he is already married to Bathsheba and refuses the money, warning him not to interfere. Boldwood, deeply offended, swears revenge.

Bathsheba soon discovers that her husband is a very reckless gambler and has little interest in the farm business. What is worse is that she suspects she is not loved by him at all. In fact, Troy is still attached to his previous lover, Fanny Robin, who was once employed by Bathsheba. Troy had promised her marriage. But the poor girl mistakenly went to the wrong church on the day of the wedding and Troy had to wait in vain in front of the altar. This annoyed him so much that he broke the marriage vows. When they split up, he didn't know that Fanny was pregnant by him.

A few months later, Troy and Bathsheba meet Fanny in a shabby state on a street as she tries with great difficulty and heavily pregnant to get to a workhouse . Troy can just send his wife away in the carriage before Bathsheba can recognize her former servant. He gives Fanny all the money he currently has in his pocket and promises her that in a few days he will have got more money for her. With the last of her strength, Fanny makes it to the workhouse, where she dies hours later in childbed with the newborn. The workhouse servants put both of them in a simple coffin and send them back to Weatherbury's hometown for a simple burial.

Gabriel, who has long been informed about the relationship between Troy and Fanny, tries to cover up the whole matter from Bathsheba. But she has already suspected and, full of jealousy, made sure that the coffin is deposited in her house overnight. When all the servants have gone to bed, she opens the coffin and sees her husband's former lover with their child.

Troy had arranged to meet Fanny in Casterbridge to give her the money, and now again waits in vain for her and remembers that she once made him wait - in front of the altar. Returning to Weatherbury, his wife confronts him with the coffin and the two dead. He kisses the dead woman and explains to his horrified wife: “This dead woman means more to me than you can ever mean to me !” (“ This woman is more to me, dead as she is, than ever you were, or are, or can be . ”) The next day, with all his money, he ordered a marble sarcophagus with the inscription“ Erected by Francis Troy in the loving memory of Fanny Robin ”. Then, full of self-disgust, he leaves the house where he can no longer live with Bathsheba. He wanders to the beach of the canal, takes off his clothes and swims out to sea. A current pulls him away, but a fishing boat eventually saves him.

A year later, when Troy is believed drowned, Boldwood renews his motion to Bathsheba. Now, aware of all the guilt and agony she caused him, Bathsheba gives him a positive answer in that she plans to marry him in six years when Troy can be officially declared dead.

But Troy is not dead. When he learns that Boldwood Bathsheba has proposed again, he returns to Weatherbury on Christmas Eve to emphasize his claim to his wife. He's doing just that in Boldwood's house, where there's a party that evening. Bathsheba - and not only she - is appalled at his appearance. When Troy tries to force his wife out by the arm, he is shot by Boldwood. Then he tries to shoot himself, but is prevented from doing so by his servant.

The following trial sentenced him to death by hanging. Boldwood's friends, however, succeed in having the sentence changed and for him to receive a different punishment for 'insane'. Bathsheba has her husband buried next to Fanny's coffin. Little by little she has to realize that she really only has one loyal friend, namely Gabriel. However, he expresses the plan to emigrate and try his luck in California. Fearful of losing his last friend with him, she visits him in his hut to find out why he really wants to emigrate. Gabriel explains to her that it is also because of her reputation that it is in danger of being damaged. There have been rumors about their relationship for some time, as it is common knowledge how Gabriel feels about his mistress. Bathsheba tells him that she has changed her posture. This encourages Gabriel to propose again. Bathsheba finally accepts this and both are married in silence.

Media processing

The novel was made into a film several times, including in 1967 under the German title Die Herrin von Thornhill . The film adaptation of Thomas Vinterberg started in German cinemas in summer 2015 .

literature

  • Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd (1874)
  • Kindler's literary lexicon in dtv in 25 volumes . Munich 1974, p. 3436

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Between bed and business . Spiegel Online ; accessed on March 8, 2018.