Thomas Hardy’s Notion of Impurity in Far from the Madding Crowd: The Tragic Failure of a Ruined Maid or The Blessed Life of a Fallen Lady

Nafiseh Salman Saleh ,Pyeaam Abbasi

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.5n.3p.59

Abstract

As a prolific nineteenth century novelist, Thomas Hardy witnessed how women were treated as well as the dreadful conditions in which they lived. Well aware of the nineteenth century limitations on femininity, Hardy stood for women’s downtrodden rights. Henceforth, so as to examine Hardy’s personal thoughts and impressions towards the prevailing perceptions of the nineteenth century femininity, Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd (1847) has been explored with focus upon the Victorian femininity in contrast with Hardy’s fictional heroines. Far From the Madding Crowd , as a typical example of his fiction, is representative of Hardy’s vision towards the Victorian ideal of femininity particularly the notion of impurity. This paper is an attempt to re-read Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd to explore the discrepancy between Hardy’s notions of impurity in accordance with the Victorian ideal perceptions of femininity to the Victorians extreme rigidity to the idea of impurity. This paper also concludes that despite his genuine commiseration towards women, Hardy was in line with the Victorian conservative view of sex where his fallen heroine –Fanny— is doomed to ignominious failure in the course of her life while Bathsheba’s fall is redeemed through a conventional marriage trial.

Highlights

1.1 Thomas Hardy: A Devoted Victorian Novelist or a Victorian RebelIn the mainstream nineteenth-century England, gender prejudices dictated certain behaviors
Hardy’s diligent attempts in presenting a totally different aspect of femininity boomed in his reputation as a leading dissident to the Victorian oppressive social rules imposing on femininity. His bold attempts were highly aimed at extending his genuine sympathy for women and their constant struggle to express their desires as well as aspirations in a constitutionalized patriarchal society, Thomas Hardy was successful enough to project his perceptions of life as well as his own vision of femininity and masculinity through his characterization
As a matter of fact, In Far From the Madding Crowd, Hardy displayed a well-representation of the notion of fall independent of social advantage and individual personality which pervades the novel

Summary

Thomas Hardy: A Devoted Victorian Novelist or a Victorian Rebel

In the mainstream nineteenth-century England, gender prejudices dictated certain behaviors. The current issues of the time, later, take the stereotypical notion of Victorian conception of femininity as “Angel in the House” and “Cow Woman” so as to protect the Christian ideals of the family as well as to render support, comfort, and morality to the sacramental family unit It was towards the end of the nineteenth-century that the novelists were prone to dislocate the conditioned ideology of the time; they made a blistering attack on the culturally-accepted perceptions of femininity. Hardy’s diligent attempts in presenting a totally different aspect of femininity boomed in his reputation as a leading dissident to the Victorian oppressive social rules imposing on femininity In a sense, his bold attempts were highly aimed at extending his genuine sympathy for women and their constant struggle to express their desires as well as aspirations in a constitutionalized patriarchal society, Thomas Hardy was successful enough to project his perceptions of life as well as his own vision of femininity and masculinity through his characterization. As a matter of fact, In Far From the Madding Crowd, Hardy displayed a well-representation of the notion of fall independent of social advantage and individual personality which pervades the novel

Fanny Robin: A Forlorn Victorian Non-Conformist Maid

Bathsheba Everdene: A Blessed Victorian Non-Conformist Lady

Conclusion