Victorians! discussion

Welcome to Week 4 of The Mayor of Casterbridge.
It has been an exciting week!

Ch. 24-27
E-J and Lucetta live together pleasantly enough, but E-J comes to suspect Lucetta’s relationship with Michael Henchard. Although, Lucetta refuses to marry Michael when he asks ... marking yet another element in Michael’s continued fall. In turn, Michael comes to suspect that Donald Farfrae is his rival for Lucetta’s affections. Michael hires Joshua Jopp (who lost his management position to Farfrae earlier in the novel) to help him cut Farfrae out as a business rival, but bad (& outdated) advice costs Michael dearly and he fires Jopp again.

As a result of the changing weather, Farfrae is able to “buy low & sell high,” prospering where Michael failed. He is also succeeding with Lucetta, which enrages Michael into threatening to destroy her reputation unless she marries him.

Ch. 28-30
Although, Michael is no longer mayor, he continues to act as magistrate and presided over a case of disorderly conduct. In the course of the testimony, the old woman (a seller of furmity) reveals Michael’s past & declares he has no right to judge her. Michael admits his guilt, to the dismay of Lucetta, his betrothed, who runs off to Port Bredy to gain a little distance from the scandal.

Sometime later, E-J meets Lucetta outside town and the two become trapped in a barn by an escaped bull. Michael shows up to rescue them & has the strength to grab the bull by the ring in its nose & tether it outside. The three head toward Casterbridge, but E-J runs back to retrieve Lucetta’s neglected muff. As a result, E-J runs into Donald who drives her home ... And Lucetta reveals to a stunned & angry Michael that she and Donald have married in secret. (Dun, dun, dun!)

Donald Farfrae moves in with his new wife, Lucetta, after taking care of some business. Oddly, Lucetta has not yet told E-J of her marriage, but does so now and asks E-J to CONTINUE LIVING WITH THEM! Wisely, E-J puts Lucetta off and quietly leaves when the opportunity presents itself.

Discussion Questions...
1) How are Michael & Lucetta alike? How are they different?
2) How are Elizabeth-Jane & Donald alike? How different?
3) How do external events like the crashed corn carts and the escaped bull reflect the conflicts in the story?
4) What do you make if Michael’s decision to admit his past guilt in the courtroom?

Feel free to respond to these questions or any other aspect of this week’s section.

I finally finished ch 30 last night—just a bit behind on the reading.

My goodness but these characters are impulsive. Except for Elizabeth, they seem to make huge decisions on a whim and then regret the decision.

I was simply annoyed with Michael when he sold at a loss all the wheat he had stockpiled based on the weather caster’s forecast. What a foolish, foolish man. I think it comes down to a lack of moral compass or center. He doesn’t have anything to guide him so he acts on impulse—maybe that is the heart (so to speak) of why he is a tragic character.

As the narrator says:
“But the momentum of his character knew no patience.”

I marked a couple of other passages that I particularly liked:

This, on the way to the prophet’s home: “The turnpike-road became a lane, the lane a cart-track, the cart-track a bridle-path, the bridle-path a foot-way, the foot-way overgrown.”

And then...
“By the sun, moon, and stars, by the clouds, the winds, the trees, and grass, the candle-flame and swallows, the smell of the herbs; likewise by the cats' eyes, the ravens, the leeches, the spiders, and the dungmixen, the last fortnight in August will be—rain and tempest."

That reads like poetry to me, and Hardy was a poet first, in his mind, rather than a just a mere novelist.

I was astounded that Michael admitted his guilt so freely. But then, he acts on impulse, so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.

So impulsive!!!!

I agree that Michael seems to be a truly tragic character. At the beginning, I just thought he was a narcissist, but Hardy does a good job rounding out the character as the story progresses. It’s a bit like watching the second half of Macbeth.

Yes, Hardy has an amazing way with words!

Jane wrote: "This, on the way to the prophet’s home: “The turnpike-road became a lane, the lane a cart-track, the cart-track a bridle-path, the .."

I love the quotes you have quoted! I have really enjoyed the way Hardy weaves a clothe of words. Like the quotes you picked, i am just in awe of his dexterity and exactness.

I have been reading and rereading these chapters. I have also been reading books that i think Hardy may have read to create his story and the characters in it.

Many of you are more familiar with Jane Austen books than i am. Is there anything in this book that reminds you of one of her books. I am not looking at the plot but more like maybe E-J character or even a sentence or stylr of writing when she is in the picture, or a quote or near quote from one of her books. I would like to read them all but i would love to start with the one that he was thinking about. Maybe the one that really evokes a sense of fashion for women.

M Henchard- I keep thinking he represents a Puritan. Do you see him as a puritan type character?