Far from the Madding Crowd

Abstract

When A Pair of Blue Eyes appeared in its three-volume form in May 1873 Hardy’s professional status was confirmed by the appearance of his name on a title-page for the first time. That status had earlier been signalled by his decision to abandon his architectural career, and by an invitation from Leslie Stephen to write a serial for the Cornhill. When Stephen wrote, on November 30, 1872, Hardy was ready with a suggestion for “a pastoral tale”, though he seems to have reported only the title, Far from the Madding Crowd, and the occupations of the chief characters.¹ It was in the spring of 1873, following the completion of A Pair of Blue Eyes and a renewed enquiry from Stephen, that Hardy began serious work on the novel. Stephen accepted it at the beginning of that October on the evidence of the specimen chapters Hardy sent him; shortly afterwards Hardy agreed to an earlier publication date than had originally been contemplated, and the first part appeared in the Cornhill for January 1874. The novel was still far from completion at this point, and Hardy only finished work on it that summer.² The two-volume first edition appeared on November 23, 1874, Hardy having returned the proofs—with “very few” corrections, mainly to the opening chapter—to Smith, Elder on October 9, modestly requesting in the accompanying letter that his name be allowed to appear in “the announcement of the book”.³