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Thomas HardyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The relative passage of time is an important theme in the novel, and at various points throughout we are reminded of differing conceptions of time. The recurrence of watches and clocks symbolizes a modernity in which time becomes more regulated and more important for everyday life, rather than being guided by the natural world. Indeed, standard time was only introduced and popularized as a concept in the mid 1800s as it was necessary for scheduling railroad shipping. Far from the Madding Crowd, written in 1874, is situated in the midst of this tension between local and standard time. One interesting example of this is Gabriel’s own timepiece at the start of the novel, which is almost cartoonish in its inefficacy: not only is it too large and kept in a place that makes it difficult to actually retrieve, but the time isn’t actually accurate, requiring Gabriel to resort to old-fashioned methods or peering into others’ houses (5). Another interesting example occurs later, in Chapter 42, while Joseph whiles away the afternoon at the Buck’s Head Inn: as the group continually convince him to stay rather than rushing, as Fanny is already dead, we are told of the persistent chiming of Jan’s pocket watch noting the passage of time in a manner in conflict with their own, slow conception of it.
By Thomas Hardy
Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave
Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave
Thomas Hardy
At an Inn
At an Inn
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Channel Firing
Channel Firing
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Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure
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Neutral Tones
Neutral Tones
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
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The Convergence of the Twain
The Convergence of the Twain: Lines on the loss of the "Titanic"
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The Darkling Thrush
The Darkling Thrush
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The Man He Killed
The Man He Killed
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge
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The Return of the Native
The Return of the Native
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The Withered Arm and Other Stories
The Withered Arm and Other Stories
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The Woodlanders
The Woodlanders
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