[hardy-l] Query relating to 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'

[Rosemarie Morgan]

Hi Will--   there are a few "doublings" in TH and it seems possible (or so 
I thought) that he enjoyed playing with that kind of thing.

Boldwood is a younger man in MC and the internal dating of the novel is the 
late 1840s /Corn harvest/ crisis helps to date it & maybe TH felt it 
judicious to backdate given the wife-sale issue - or so I claim in a recent 
publication.    I guess Everdene -- alive in MC -- dies somewhere between 
MC and FFMC internal dating circa late 1860s-early 1870s.

TH was given an inordinate amount of time to write MC. -- his publishers 
being very wary,  and he claims that the extra time was tedious ; in fact 
he went off on other projects the lengthy time so frustrated him  -- so 
perhaps it tickled his fancy to introduce come characters from FFMC?

All the very best

Rosemarie

>Now take this passage from 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' relating to 
>Henchard's bankruptcy examination (Henchard has offered his creditors his 
>watch and the money in his pockets):
>The creditors, farmers almost to a man, looked at the watch, and at the 
>money, and into the street; when Farmer James Everdene of Weatherbury spoke
>
>"No, no, Henchard," he said warmly. "We don't want that. 'Tis honourable 
>in ye; but keep it. What do you say, neighbours--do ye agree?"
>
>"Ay, sure: we don't wish it at all," said Grower, another creditor.
>
>"Let him keep it, of course," murmured another in the background--a 
>silent, reserved young man named Boldwood; and the rest responded unanimously.
>
>
>Regards to you all,
>
>Will
>___________