Far from the Madding Crowd

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874)

Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman farmer, attracts three very different suitors: the steadfast shepherd Gabriel Oak, the reckless soldier Sergeant Troy, and the obsessive farmer Boldwood. Hardy's most beloved and accessible novel.

Historical Significance:
Published in 1874, Far from the Madding Crowd was Hardy's first major success and established the fictional Wessex that would become his literary landscape. The title comes from Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." Bathsheba Everdene — resourceful, proud, and flawed — was a remarkably modern heroine for the 1870s, running her own farm in a world of men. Suzanne Collins named her Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen as a deliberate homage. The 2015 film starring Carey Mulligan was a critical success.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1874. Free to read and share.