Classics Retold

For the Victorian wealthy, military service was less a job and more a primary path to power.  It became a social custom for the wealthy. The British army's purchase system ensured the officer corps remained an exclusive club for those with significant private means.  The Attractions   ° Status Symbol: Holding a commission was seen as a status symbol.  Even for the wealthy merchant class buying a son a commision was the fastest way to a higher social standing. ° Ladder to Upper Circle:  An Officer's uniform was a powerful social asset. A man attained the level of a desirable suitor for wealthy families and enter into higher circles of Victorian society. ° The System of Primogeniture and the distressed younger sons. Under the system of Primogeniture, the eldest son inherited the entire family estate.  The younger sons needed a respectable profession that didn't involve manual labour. The army was found the most attractive choice compared to other options lik...

In Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd, published in 1874, Seargent Troy serves as a critical lens through which we see the Victorian military set up representing the charm, recklessness, and social superiority of army within a traditional agrarian community. As a dashing dragoon [1], seargent Troy acts as a dramatic counterpoint to the stable rustic person of Gabriel Oak and the established order of the farming community. Seargent Troy and the Victorian Military Image . Troy embodies the romanticised image of the Victorian soldier: Dashing, handsome and reckless.  His scarlet uniform is portrayed as a  superficial attraction that captivates Bathsheba Everdene, representing a glamorous contrast to the rural rustic surroundings. Despite his appearance, Troy is a heartless cad, who uses charm associated with his military position to manipulate women, particularly Fanny Robin and later Bathsheba, reflecting a cynical exploitative side of the military class. Troy is...

After the shear supper, before going to bed as a bailiff Bathsheba had checked all was well with the farm; and again she was to see everything was in order about the homestead. Gabriel had already done these jobs without her knowledge or order; but this tender devotion was unknown to her, and whatever  known was not accounted.  She carried a dark lantern [1] and every now and then turned on the light to examine nooks and corners coolly.  She always anticipated omission on the part of human hands leaving a door opened, or the horses might not be well bedded, or all the fowls were not in the coop. The buildings were inspected as usual and she moved onto farm paddock [2]. Here, the stillness of night was broken by steady munching of many mouths, and breathing through many nostrils, ending in snorts and puffs like the blowing of bellows. After inspection, her way back to the house was by a path through a young plantation of firs which sheltered the premises from the north win...

The men are seated outside the house of Bathsheba to attend the shearing supper.  She hosts this supper to celebrate the successful completion of sheep shearing. A long table was placed outside on the grass, with one end pushed through a wide open, parlour window.  Bathsheba sits just inside the window, allowing her to head the table and interact with her workers without completely mingling with them.  Following the meal the workers including Jan Coggan and Joseph Poorgrass drink, sing and tell stories.  The gathering acts as a traditional community celebration of pastrol season ending. Into this scene comes farmer Boldwood  to court Bathsheba and eventually moves inside to talk with her privately.  Separation of men to the exterior of the house is a calculated move by Bathsheba to balance her roles as a woman, a mistress and a host in a rigid Victorian society.  By sitting inside at the head of the table while the men are outside, she creates a physic...

Head and front is a phrase meaning the most important, foremost or primary item. Wardrobe is where you keep your dress. It refers to main item in your collection. It is just like standing in front of the wardrobe.  Staring at a packed wardrobe can cause confusion leading to wearing same outfit 3-4 times repeatedly.  Sometimes looking at you in same clothes make you older, signalling a need for style update.  The phrase reflects a time before the advent of industrial revolution, a time when agrarian society was getting into a transformation. An independent farmer like Bathsheba Everdene had limited choice.  The dress she was wearing made the prime item of her wardrobe.

"A rum start" is a British idiom meaning a strange, odd, peculiar or queer beginning.  It is often used to describe a situation that starts in an unexpected or eccentric way.  Rum in this context is an old British slang adjective, dating back to 18th century, that means strange or queer, not referring to alcoholic beverage.  It is used frequently in phrases like "a rum do" meaning a strange affair or occurance.  It is informal and dated British English often used to express bewilderment or mild surprise at how something has begun.  The word rum meaning odd likely originated in the 18th century and is completely separate from the origin of rum meaning alcoholic drink.