Far Rrom The Madding Crowd--A Tragedy Of A Woman And A Tragedy Of Society

Among the people whose help and support have made it possible for me to complete this thesis, may I first of all thank Professor Ye Huanian, my supervisor, for his patient guidance and careful correction of my manuscript. I owe thanks to my friends and family in Ganzhou and Shanghai for they have always been there for me to rely on; the most faithful of them, as ever, have been my dear parents.AbstractFar from the Madding Crowd, published in 1874, which was an overwhelming success, marked a turning point in Hardy's literary life and enabled him to earn his living solely by writing from then on. The novel is generally read as a pastoral tragicomedy simply because of its ending in which Bathsheba marries Oak after countless hardships and obstacles. In this thesis, I venture to argue that this novel is not a tragicomedy, but a tragedy-a tragedy of a woman, and a tragedy of society. I intend to analyze the novel in view of women's independence and emancipation, of Feminist criticism and of social development to prove that society is mainly to blame and Bathsheba's second marriage is a failure to her, which is a marriage without true love.