Classics and the Western Canon discussion

Our reading of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge begins on November 5.

Published in 1886, the novel was originally serialized in weekly instalments. The setting is rural England in Hardy’s fictional Wessex. The subtitle of the novel is The Life and Death of a Man of Character. The man is Michael Henchard, the Mayor of Casterbridge. The shocking opening of the novel raises questions about the quality of Henchard’s character, something we will explore throughout our discussion.

In this, as in his other novels, Hardy critiques Victorian society. Here, he indicts the gendered stratification of Victorian society, its treatment of women, and the impact of internalized social expectations on both men and women.

Historical Context

The novel was published a few years after the passage of the Married Women’s Property Act (1870; 1882). Prior to the passage of this Act, a married woman lived under the conditions of coverture which dictated she lost her separate legal identity upon marriage. She was required to surrender whatever property she owned and/or income she earned to her husband, and she could not conduct any legal proceedings without her husband’s consent. The MWP Act gave a married woman legal status, allowing here to own and control her own property and to retain control of whatever income she earned. But a married woman who did not own property, who did not have an income, and who was poor remained under the legal control of her husband. She had no independent legal status.

Reading Schedule

Week 1: November 5 – 11; Chapters 1 – 7
Week 2: November 12 – 18; Chapters 8 - 15
Week 3: November 19 – 25; Chapters 16 - 21
Week 4: November 26 – December 2; Chapters 22 - 26
Week 5: December 3 – December 9; Chapters 27 - 33
Week 6: December 10 – December 16; Chapters 34 - 39
Week 7: December 17 – December 23; Chapters 40 – end; the book as a whole