Five guineas is all it took for an out-of-work labourer named Michael Henchard to sell his wife and infant daughter at a county fair! Now, years later, Michael has climbed the ladder of prosperity and success in the Casterbridge community, but his past actions continue to haunt him. The ghosts of his past confront him when his wife and daughter return to Casterbridge. Will the tragically flawed Michael Henchard be successful in keeping his family together, or will his pride and fury result in his downfall? Set against a ...
Read More
Five guineas is all it took for an out-of-work labourer named Michael Henchard to sell his wife and infant daughter at a county fair! Now, years later, Michael has climbed the ladder of prosperity and success in the Casterbridge community, but his past actions continue to haunt him. The ghosts of his past confront him when his wife and daughter return to Casterbridge. Will the tragically flawed Michael Henchard be successful in keeping his family together, or will his pride and fury result in his downfall? Set against a beautiful rural landscape, Hardy takes us on a dramatic journey and makes us question . . . what is "a man of character"? Other titles by Thomas Hardy: Far From The Madding Crowd, Tess of The d'Urbervilles. A timeless classic from one of the most renowned writers in the history of English literature. - A novel that explores the themes of self-destruction, loyalty, and love. - What it takes to be "a man of character"? - What is the cost of prosperity and success? - Will Henchard be successful in keeping his family together? - One of Thomas Hardy's most celebrated works!
Read Less
Add this copy of The Mayor of Casterbridge to cart. $12.31, new condition, Sold by Media Smart rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hawthorne, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by Prakash Books India Pvt. Ltd.
?The Mayor of Casterbridge? was Hardy?s tenth published novel and, as most critics say, his first masterpiece. Set in and around Casterbridge (Hardy?s name for Dorchester) the story of Michael Henchard is one of the most tragic that Hardy ever wrote. The novel follows the story of Michael Henchard, a hay trusser, who under the influence of alcohol sells his wife Susan and their daughter Elizabeth ?Jane to a sailor named Newson, for five guineas. Several years later, following the death of Newson, Susan arrives at Casterbridge with Elizabeth-Jane to seek her legal husband. Not knowing what to expect, Susan is astonished to find that Henchard is now the mayor of Casterbridge, and a very respectable person. After the sell of his wife and daughter Henchard took a twenty-one year vow not to drink. Thinking that he has been given a second chance to make things right, Henchard remarries Susan and because Elizabeth ?Jane believes that Newson is her father, Henchard adopts her as his own daughter. But the errors of his past cannot be so easily repaired and as no man can avoid his destiny, Henchard is forced to pay his dues although the price may seem too high. What many people don?t know is that Hardy was actually an architect and his novels apart from being amazing psychological analyses of the nineteenth century society, they also give us extremely valuable information regarding the way things looked back then. Another thing that you should keep in mind when reading this book is that it is actually inspired from reality. There are records that state that back in the sixteen hundreds, a man actually sold his wife at the fair in Stockport (a small town near Manchester) and although we do not know what happened after that, Hardy sure did a great job at filling the blanks!
