Far from the Madding Crowd

Summary

Independent Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm in Hardy's rural Wessex and draws the devotion of three very different men: the steadfast shepherd Gabriel Oak, the lonely landowner William Boldwood, and the dashing, careless Sergeant Troy. Hardy plays her choices out against the rhythms of farming life, letting vanity and chance drive the story toward tragedy before allowing a hard earned resolution. The novel gave Hardy his first major success and established the fictional Wessex he would map for the rest of his career.