Emma died in 1912 and in 1914 he married his secretary, Florence Dugdale, with whose help he began his autobiography, The Early Life of Thomas Hardy. Towards the end of his life Hardy turned to the writing of poetry. Tess of the d’Urbervilles was published in 1891 and his last novel, Jude the Obscure appeared in 1895. Returning again to Dorset in 1885, Hardy continued his regular output: The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), The Woodlanders (1887) and a collection of short stories, Wessex Tales (1888).

Four years later he moved back to London The Return of the Native was published in the same year and he became a prominent figure in literary circles. In 1874 Hardy married his first wife, Emma Gifford, and in the same year Far From the Madding Crowd was published to considerable acclaim. Only fragments survive of this first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, but he continued to write and in 1871 Desperate Remedies was published, followed by Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) and A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873).

It was in 1862, when he moved to London to pursue a career in architecture, that he began to write, but he did not begin his first novel until he moved back to Dorset in 1867 to become assistant to John Hicks, an architect and church restorer. Thomas Hardy was born near Dorchester on June 2nd 1840. Parker skilfully navigates the listener through the novel, and his attention to the nuances of Hardy’s prose makes his narration especially compelling. He also effectively contrasts the methodical Gabriel Oak and the haughty Bathsheba in their heated discussions. His vocal characterisations are well executed, particularly in the discussions of the townspeople in which he portrays the local dialects convincingly. While Parker assumes an unhurried tone throughout the narrative, he provides energetic feeling in the dialogue. British actor Jamie Parker’s sonorous voice complements Hardy’s deliberate style. When she’s finally won in marriage, she’s consumed by despair. Titles by Thomas Hardy Titles by Thomas Hardy Desperate Remedies (unabridged) Young Adult Classics – Far From the Madding Crowd (abridged) Far From the Madding Crowd (abridged) Far From the Madding Crowd (unabridged) The Hand of Ethelberta (unabridged) Jude the Obscure (unabridged) A Laodicean (unabridged) The Mayor of Casterbridge (unabridged) A Pair of Blue Eyes (unabridged) The Return of the Native (unabridged) Tess of the d'Urbervilles (unabridged) Tess of the D’Urbervilles (abridged) The Trumpet-Major (unabridged) Two on a Tower (unabridged) Under the Greenwood Tree (unabridged) The Well-Beloved (unabridged) Wessex Tales (unabridged) Winter Words (unabridged) The Woodlanders (unabridged) ReviewsĪ dark-haired muse, Bathsheba Everdene, entices and repulses the men of Hardy’s rural Weatherbury.

Far from the madding crowd novel