The Mayor of Casterbridge (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Thomas Hardy
- First Published: 1886
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Genealogy, Sex or sexuality, Nineteenth century, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, England or English people, Business or business people, Fate or fatalism, Merchants
- Locales: Wessex, England
In a drunken fit, Michael Henchard sells his wife and child to a sailor. Twenty years later, a superficially changed Henchard has risen to be Mayor of Casterbridge. His wife arrives in town, bringing along a girl, Elizabeth-Jane, whom Henchard assumes to be his daughter. They remarry, though they keep their past a secret. A farming crisis causes Henchard to hire Donald Farfrae to manage the town’s grain trade. The two men become rivals, and a series of chance mishaps and impetuous decisions cause Henchard’s fortunes to wane while Farfrae’s rise. When Henchard’s wife dies, he...
[The entire page is 607 words long]
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