A Rejected Fragment of Far from the Madding Crowd

Abstract

Hardy described a MS. fragment of Far from the Madding Crowd as "Some pages of a first draft (Details of Sheep-rot-omitted from the MS. when revised)."' Richard L. Purdy says of the fragment, "These pages are heavily altered and bear no relation (in appearance, foliation, etc.) to the complete MS. as we have it. They would seem to be ... part of a destroyed early MS. of the novel."2 As brief and tentative as the fragment is, it casts some light upon Hardy's literary economy and upon his early concept of Troy's character and role. From it Hardy salvaged a vivid descriptive passage and a dramatic conflict, both of which he adapted to the altered context of the final version of the novel.