Ahead of her new season of Thomas Hardy study sessions, Dr Diane Duffy has paid a visit to Wessex.
From October we are going to be studying Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd in our Knutsford study sessions. With that in view, I am running a series of posts linked to that text and sharing some images of Hardy’s Dorset.
Far from the Madding Crowd was written at Hardy’s family home in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. The cottage is set in a lovely secluded spot on the edge of heath and woodland , an area Hardy uses in both Far from the Madding Crowd and The Return of the Native:
Tis very lonesome for ’ee in the heth tonight, mis’ess,” said Christian…Mind you don’t get lost. Egdon Heth is a bad place to get lost in, and the winds do huffle queerer tonight than ever I heard ’em afore. Them that know Egdon best have been pixy-led here at times.
It is a wild and ancient place, just as Hardy describes it; and although it is close to the A35, a major route from Dorchester to Bournemouth via Puddletown, Hardy’s Weatherbury, the area feels totally isolated. You can imagine yourself in the novels as there is a sense that little has changed down the centuries-except perhaps more trees. While we were there, the weather treated us to showers of misty rain which made it feel even more Hardyesque.
Landscape plays is an integral part of Hardy’s work, much more so than in Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels. The ancient name of Wessex which he adopts for his fictional region suits the wild primordial landscape which has only partially been cultivated.
Diane Duffy
Click the images below to enlarge and see captions.
Use the links in the list of study sessions to see Diane’s Extracts and Points to Ponder for each session.
List of Study Sessions
Session 1 (from 2pm, Tuesday 28 October 2025) – Chapters 1-11
Session 2 (from 2pm, Tuesday 25 November 2025) – Chapters 12-24
Session 3 (from 2pm, Tuesday 27 January 2026) – Chapters 25-35
Session 4 (from 2pm, Tuesday, 24 February 2026) – Chapters 36-46
Session 5 (from 2pm, Tuesday 31 March 2026) – Chapters 47-52
Session 6 (from 2pm, Tuesday 28 April 2026)
We’ll consider some of the novel’s themes, including setting, gender, religion, humour, and Victorian society. These can be compared with Gaskell and her treatment of similar subjects
Doors open from 1pm: feel free to bring a packed lunch. The study session and Zoom meeting will begin at 2pm (UK time).
Simply come along and pay on the door, or use the Book Now button (no booking fee). Diane will also run the sessions on Zoom, so if you can’t join us in Knutsford, join us online. You’ll receive the Zoom link with your ticket.