Thomas Hardy's fourth novel was popularized after appearing as a serialization in the "Cornhill Magazine."
Hardy's heroine, farmer Bathsheba Everdene, rebuffs the proposal of farmer-turned-shepherd Gabriel Oak, leads on the gentleman farmer Mr. Boldwood, and ultimately marries rakish Sergent Troy with whom she suffers a bad marriage. The novel illustrates the struggles of class integration and the problems surrounding hastily arranged unions.
Hardy, Thomas. Far From the Madding Crowd. Print, Barnes & Noble Classics, 2005.
