Classics Retold

Christmas Eve.  Boldwood was to arrange a party, and it became the talk of Weatherbury.  Parties were not rare in the parish; but Boldwood was the giver made it a wonder.  The announcement was incongruous and abnormal as if  a croquet playing in a cathedral , or that some much respected judge was going on the stage.  The party was intended to be a truly jovial one.  A large bough of   mistletoe  had been brought from the woods that day and suspended in the hall of bachelor's house.  Holly and Ivy had followed in armfuls. From the early morning till past noon the huge wood fire in the kitchen roared and sparkled at its highest, the kettle and the saucepan and the three legged pot appearing in the midst of the flames like  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego ; while in addition, roasting and basting operations were continued in front of the genial blaze.  As it grew later, the fire was made up in the large, oblong hall into which th...

In Chapter 52 of Far From The Madding Crowd has Troy compares himself as Alonzo the Brave.  This is an allusion that many Victorian readers might have recognised immediately.  Alonzo the Brave and Imogin is a famous Gothic Ballad adapted into English by Mathew Gregory Lewis, the author of The Monk.  Alonzo a famous knight goes to war. His beloved, Imogin believes him dead agrees to marry another man. During the wedding feast a mysterious armoured knight arrives.  The stranger reveals himself to be dead Alonzo, come from the grave. He claims Imogine as his bride and carries her away to the tomb.  The poem is filled with supernatural horror --- ghosts, grave, and the return of the dead.  The allusion is apt in the light of sergeant Troy's return, when almost everyone has believed him dead.  Like Alonzo, Troy appears dramatically after being thought lost.  Although Troy is literally not a ghost his sudden appearance has an eerie ghost-like effect on ...

An overcoat of Noachian cut is a literary phrase meaning an extremely old fashioned, ancient or outdated coat. The term origanates from Thomas Hardy's 1874 Victorian novel, Far From The Madding Crowd, where it is used to describe the disguise of the character Sergeant Troy.  Noachian refers directly to the biblical figure Noah and the Great Flood.  Describing a garment's cut as Noachian is a humorous exaggeration implying the style is so old it dates back to Noah's Ark.  In Chapter 52 of the novel sergeant Troy wears a heavy grey overcoat of Noachian cut, with cape and high collar.  The collar is described as stiff, upright, and rigid like a wall.  In the late19th century it was archaic but were common in the late 18th and early 19th century; but looked relics by the late Victorian era. 

Factotum is a man employed to do a wide variety of jobs, handling diverse tasks, responsibilities, and odd jobs for the employer. It essentially means a jack-of-all-trades.  Etymology:-  The word comes from Medieval Latin phrase "fac totum" meaning do everything (fac = do; totum = everything) Synonyms: right hand man, handy man, gofer. 

In Chapter 52 of Far From The Madding Crowd, sergeant Troy speaks to Pennyways, of his wife Bathsheba when he says "..... this haughty goddess, dashing piece of womanhood, Juno wife of mine has a more nuanced meaning than a simply domineering wife.  Juno was the queen of Roman gods and the wife of Jupiter.  She was celebrated for her majestic beauty and dignity.  She was the protectress of marriage.  Troy is speaking with a mixture of admiration, irony, and possessiveness.  By calling Bathsheba "a haughty goddess", he acknowledges her pride and commanding personality.  "A dashing piece of womanhood" emphasizes her striking beauty and spirit.  Juno-wife of mine means my queenly magnificent wife.  It is an elevated classical compliment rather than an insult.  Yet there is irony.  Troy has abandoned Bathsheba, squandered his opportunities, and now returning largely because of her wealth. Calling her Juno-wife is his theatrical way of speaki...

In Chapter 52 of Far From The Madding Crowd, Hardy brings in three Jewish characters from the book of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  They were the officials in the court of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.  When the king commanded everyone to worship a giant golden image, the three men refused because they would worship only their God.  As a punishment, they were thrown into fire, but the intense heat killed the soldiers who threw them into the fire. But the three men, however were not burned.  The king then saw a mysterious fourth figure walking with them in the flames.  They emerged unharmed, and the king acknowledged the power of their God.  These names were synonymous with people who endure persecution and severe trial. Hardy invokes biblical story to invoke the preparation of the Christmas party hosted by Boldwood.