Showing results by author "Thomas Hardy" in All Categories

> 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.

Fjernt fra verdens vrimmel er historien om den smukke Bathsheba Everdene. Drevet af en stærk vilje til selvstændighed beslutter hun sig for selv at drive et gods, hun arver. Som godsejer bliver hun det skæbnesvangre omdrejningspunkt for tre mænd, der på forskellig vis kommer ind i hendes liv som hendes bejlere: Den ensomme nabo William Boldwood, den trofaste fårehyrde Gabriel Oak og den forførende sergent Francis Troy.

Tess Durbeyfield er en ung, smuk bondepige fra fattige kår. En skæbnesvanger dag lader hendes fordrukne far sig overbevise om, at familien i virkeligheden tilhører den rige adelsslægt d’Urberville. I et ærgerrigt ønske om social opstigen sender forældrene derfor Tess i armene på deres nye slægtning i naboegnen, den velhavende, unge Alec d’Urberville. Mødet med Alec d’Urberville får tragiske følger og kaster mørke skygger ind over Tess’ tilværelse.

Henchard is a handsome farm labourer. When he gets drunk at a country fair, he sells his wife and child to a sailor. The next day, ashamed by what he has done, he lets people believe that his wife has died. Thus begins a chain of events which leads Henchard deep into dishonesty and betrayal. Repentant and determined to change his ways, Henchard works hard to improve his fortunes. He becomes rich and is elected mayor of Casterbridge - though his temper and his pride make him difficult to like.

Young, attractive and impetuous, Bathsheba has inherited a farm and is determined to be as independent as possible. Her natural beauty is a magnet for men; how will she choose between them? Gabriel Oak is a young farmer, just set up in business with his own flock of sheep. He meets Bathsheba and falls in love with her, but she turns him down. He has to stand by and watch while the woman he loves is courted by others, first by William Boldwood, much older than Bathsheba; then by Sergeant Troy, young, handsome and reckless.

When the wind blows and the rain lashes, our emotions can become dulled and our thoughts depressed but sometimes these swirling conditions can excite and invigorate. Whether we shut the door physically or delight in watching nature's displays, we cannot ignore the weather. It’s the natural topic of conversation for the British. Summer breezes and spring showers can elevate our senses, bringing a thump to the heart, a grin to the face and an abandon to immerse yourself in nature's ever changing wonders.

Jocelyn Pierston, a successful sculptor, is helpless in the face of "the well-beloved": the manifestation of perfect womanhood that seems to move like a will-o'-the-wisp from one acquaintance to the next. It shapes his whole life. Where his artistry involves permanence - cold stone objects - his heart is caught by ephemeral beauty. After years spent in London, a return to his rocky birthplace, the Isle of Slingers, sparks Pierston's extraordinary involvement with three generations of the Caro family.

A collection of the funny, curious verse written during the 19th and 20th centuries, read by some of Britain's most renowned actors. Humorous and whimsical verse are collated together in these timeless readings of poetry from our funniest writers. Performed by Sir John Gielgud; Imogen Stubbs; Tim Pigott-Smith; Peter Orr; Wendy Hillier.

Heden kring Wessex i sydvästra England bildar bakgrund för den storslagna historien om fem älskandes öden i slutet av 1800-talet, men utgör också ett personporträtt i egen rätt i Thomas Hardys älskade klassiker. Landskapets skiftningar speglar invånarnas känslotillstånd och formar deras drömmar, inte minst den drottninglika och splittrade Eustacia Vyes som längtar efter storstadens äventyr.

Eustacia Vye's great desire in life was to be loved to madness, and in this, one of Thomas Hardy's best-loved novels, one of his most superb female characters conducts her wild and lethal campaign against her rival - the innocent, rather conventional Thomas - against the backdrop of Egdon Heath, the equally wild and lethal Dorset moorland on which Hardy grew up.

Released in 1896, the story centers around young Cytherea Graye, who becomes a servant to Miss Auclyffe, a woman with a troubled past. There, she encounters Aeneas Manston, the incredibly handsome and charming steward of Miss Auclyffe. The anti-hero, Aeneas Manston, as physically alluring as he is evil, fascinates the innocent Cytherea though she is in love with another man.

Lonely Viviette Constantine awaits the return of her husband from a hunting expedition to Africa. She becomes involved with a young astronomer, Swithin St.Cleeve, who observes the night sky from a disused tower on her estate. Despite their differing ages and social backgrounds they soon find their destinies linked - but with fateful consequences.

Tess Derbyfield växer upp i fattigdom på en bondgård. Hon är vacker och troskyldig så när hennes pappa skickar iväg henne till den välbärgade släkten d'Urberville anar hon inget ont, trots de lystna blickar hon får av adelsfamiljens son, Alec d'Urberville. Senare i sitt liv tar Tess anställning som mjölkerska och faller då handlöst för den blivande missionären Angel Clare. Tess vill gifta sig med Angel, men det förflutna plågar henne. I originalöversättning av Karin Wenström.

The turn of the 20th century saw radical developments in all art forms and particularly in poetry. The first volume of this series features the work of nine significant poets whose careers cover the period from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.

Bathsheba Everdene's three wooers, the faithful Gabriel Oak, the passionate William Boldwood and the adventurer Sergeant Troy, eventually cause madness and murder in this fatalistic novel. Hardy's writing is full of beautiful descriptions and deep wisdom.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented was Thomas Hardy's penultimate novel.

First published in 1891 and now considered a great classic of English literature, the book received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the sexual mores of Hardy's day.

Eustacia Vye, sensuous and wild as the moors of Egdon Heath, brings nothing but misfortune to her lovers, Damon Wildeve and Clym Yeobright. This, contrasted with the kindness and faithfulness of the reddleman Diggory Venn, Thomasin, and the local furze cutters, all combine to form a gripping tale.

Far from the Madding Crowd, which first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in monthly installments back in the late 19th century, features the love life of the young Bathsheba Everdene who is as poor as she is beautiful. Fortunately, Bathsheba's uncle leaves her his farm, which she goes to manage in the small town of Weatherbury. Before she leaves, however, she has an interesting encounter with a young farmer, Gabriel Oak, for whom she does a tremendous favor ,and he becomes indebted to her....

The Return of the Native (1878) is one of Hardy's most popular novels. Set on the brooding Egdon heath it traces the lives and loves of five people. Clym Yeobright, the native, returns to Egdon from a successful career in Paris to pursue a dream of educating the poorer local people. Eustacia Vye, a young woman unhappy with life on Egdon wishes for love and life in a city. Damon Wildeve, an innkeeper and ex-engineer is a young womaniser.

Our Laodicean Paula Power, the daughter of a wealthy Victorian railway engineer, is the sole inheritor of the ancient De Stancy Castle. The castle requires much modernization and repair so she sets about securing a young, up-and-coming architect, George Somerset, to undertake the project. Immediately captivated Somerset falls in love with our heroine but alas, he is not her only suitor. Paula, "the modern flower in a mediaeval flower-pot" while attracted to him yearns for the dashing Captain De Stancy and the aristocratic background he represents.