The Motif of the Perpetrator in Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge"

Kristin Ott

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Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7 (A-), University...

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Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7 (A-), University of Bonn (English Seminar), course: Seminar Thomas Hardy, language: English, abstract: The theme of the intruder, defined in the Collins English Dictionary as "a person who enters [..] without permission"1, is, although it might not seem so at first, one of the key issues of Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. It is one of Hardy's "Novels of Character and Environment"2, in which Hardy creates a uniquely detailed portrait of rural life, inspired by Dorset, the county of his birth. Throughout the novel strangers appear in and disappear from Casterbridge, overhearing instances can be found in many a chapter, and the fact that "none of the major characters in the novel is a native of Casterbridge or even of South Wessex3"is one the reader can hardly forget. By examining selected characters and the way they intrude on both other characters and the town of Casterbridge, it becomes clear that this theme is to be regarded in a wider context - one of social distinctions, the changing world of rural Victorian England and the individual's struggle against overpowering forces.