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"Life is an oasis which is submerged in the swirling waves of sorrows."
Published in 1886, The Mayor of Casterbridge is one of Thomas Hardy's famous Wessex novels. The novel depicts the life of a hay trusser, Michael Henchard, who auctions his wife and baby girl to a sailor in a drunken state.
Nineteen years later, Henchard establishes himself as the mayor of Casterbridge but the deplorable truth of his erstwhile life lies buried in his heart. His past revisits him when his wife and daughter return to Casterbridge.
A tragic account of a deceptive man, this novel is considered to be a masterpiece of Hardy's deeply imagined dramatic works.
About the author
Thomas Hardy (1840 1928) is renowned for having had a significant influence on Victorian and early 20th-century literature. Hardy, who was born in Dorset, England, on June 2, 1840, came from a working-class family to become one of the greatest writers of his day. Hardy explored themes like love, fate, and the conflict between old and modern values in his works, which frequently portrayed the harsh reality of rural life. "The Mayor of Casterbridge" (1886), "The Return of the Native" (1878), "Far from the Madding Crowd" (1874), and "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" (1891) are a few notable works. His writing was distinguished by a close relationship to nature and a sharp understanding of human nature. Hardy was a talented poet in addition to his novelist, as evidenced by collections like "Wessex Poems" (1898) and "Poems of the Past and Present" (1902). Hardy's writings were increasingly more well-known throughout the 20th century for their realistic and profound psychological depth. Thomas Hardy's literary talents have ensured his enduring legacy as a master poet and storyteller, notwithstanding some debate around the seeming pessimism in his latter novels.
