Norman Vance Bücher

Far from the Madding Crowd is perhaps the most pastoral of Hardy's Wessex novels. It tells the story of the young farmer Gabriel Oak and his love for and pursuit of the elusive Bathsheba Everdene, whose wayward nature leads her to both tragedy and true love. It tells of the dashing Sergeant Troy whose rakish philosophy of life was '...the past was yesterday; never, the day after'. And lastly, of the introverted and reclusive gentleman farmer, Mr Boldwood, whose love fills him with '...a fearful sense of exposure', when he first sets eyes on Bathsheba.

Exploring the concept of 'Christian manliness' or 'muscular Christianity', this book offers a unique lens on nineteenth-century life. It delves into the cultural and social implications of this movement, highlighting how it shaped ideals of masculinity and influenced various aspects of society during that era. Through detailed analysis, it uncovers the intersections between faith, physicality, and identity, providing readers with a deeper understanding of historical attitudes towards masculinity and spirituality.

This book explores how the novels of George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Mary Ward, and Rider Haggard acquired greater cultural centrality, just as the authority of the scriptures and of traditional religious teaching seemed to be declining, and offered a new forum for the exploration of religious and moral themes.

The Oxford History of Classical Reception (OHCREL) is designed to offer a comprehensive investigation of the numerous and diverse ways in which literary texts of the classical world have stimulated responses and refashioning by English writers.