As Diane says, “After studying the links between George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell last season, it became plain that many themes in Gaskell’s work were recurring in Eliot’s: marriage, education, the position of women and the political situation in England. Another common feature was their serialisation in The Cornhill Magazine.

“Cornhill readers required a specific kind of literature, which I will talk more about in the study sessions, so it is not surprising that Thomas Hardy, who published his first novel, Far from the Madding Crowd [1874] in the Cornhill, became an obvious choice to consider as one who may have carried forward Gaskell’s legacy.

On a superficial level, the rural community in Hardy’s Wessex can be compared with Gaskell’s Cheshire in works such as Cranford, Cousin Phyllis and Wives and Daughters. Similarly in Far From the Madding Crowd, Hardy is looking at the role of women and their marriage choices – clearly very Gaskell!”

In the novel, Bathsheba Everdene has three suitors: the constant, but humble, shepherd Gabriel Oak; the lonely, middle-aged landowner William Boldwood and the handsome, dashing Sergeant, Francis Troy – three very different men. Which will she choose – and will her choice be the right one?

Initially we will work through the novel looking at specific chapters and incidents and their importance. These can, where appropriate, be compared with Gaskell. In the final session we will look more thematically at the novel as a whole.

• Session 1 (28 October 2025) – Chapters 1-11
• Session 2 (25 November 2025) – Chapters 12-24
• Session 3  (27 January 2026) – Chapters 25-35
• Session 4 (24 February 2026) – Chapters 36-46
• Session 5  (31 March 2026) Chapters 47-52
• Session 6 (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