Classics Retold

In Chapter 47 of Far From The Madding Crowd, Hardy describes the small cove where Troy goes swimming.  "Two projecting spurs of rock which formed the pillars of Hercules to this miniature Mediterranean."  This is a classical geographical metaphor.  The real pillars of Hercules  The pillars of Hercules were the two promontories flanking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea at the Strait of Gibralter.  On the European side stands Rock of Gibralter. On the African side is Jebel Musa.  Greek mythology says it was created by Heracles (same as Roman Hercules) To the ancient Mediterraneans the pillars marked boundary between Mediterranean world and the  Atlantic ocean.  What Hardy means: The cove where Troy bathes is a tiny Mediterranean sea. Mediterranean sea is an enclosed basin of water. There are two rocky projections at its mouth, like the pillars of Hercules. Beyond this cove is Atlantic ocean. As long as Troy swim inside the cove, he is in shelte...

In Chapter 47 Hardy writes that when Troy reaches the top of the hill and suddenly sees the sea:  "A wide novel prospect burst upon him with an affect almost like that of Pacific upon Balboa's gaze."  This is a reference to Vasco Núñez de Balboa.  According to traditional account Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and became the first European to view the New World.  The sight was so vast and unexpected that it became a symbol of discovery and revelation.  Hardy's comparison suggests several things:  1. Sudden expansion of vision  Troy had been trapped in a grief, remorse, and disgust with his life.  On reaching the summit the sea opens before him like an entirely new world.  2. A sense of escape and adventure  Just as Balboa saw new opportunities beyond the mountains, Troy feels the pull of a life beyond Weatherbury, Bathsheba and the memory of Fanny. 3. Irony Hardy elevates Troy for a moment by comparing him to a great explorer, yet ...

The tower of the Weatherbury Church was a square erection of fourteenth century date, having two stone  gurgoyle s on each of the four faces of its parapet.  Of these only two were working.  The others were closed by the churchwardens as superfluous, or being choked or broken.  The shape of the remaining gurgoyle was very queer.  It was not a dragon; not a man; not a fiend; and not even a  griffin .  This horrible stone identity was fashioned as if covered with a wrinkled hide; it had short erect ears, eyes starting from their sockets, and its fingers and hands were seizing the corners of its mouth, which they seemed to pull open to give free passage to the water it vomited.  The lower row of teeth was quite washed away, though the upper still remained.  Here and thus, jutting a couple of feet from the wall against which its feet rested as a support, the creature had for four hundred years laughed at the surrounding landscape, voicelessly in ...

In Far From The Madding Crowd (Chapter 46), the phrase "reprobates quarter of the graveyard" refers to part of a churchyard traditionally reserved for people whom society or the church regarded as morally suspect, disgraced, or outside the full religious acceptance.  The word reprobate originally meant a person considered rejected by God or morally depraved.  In nineteenth century rural England, a person who took his own life,  criminal, people who led a scandalous life, and unbaptized individuals were viewed as outside the church. All these persons were considered rejected by God.  The body of these persons, when they die were buried in an isolated place away from the common graveyard. Hardy often uses such expressions to reveal the harsh judgements of society.  In the context of Fanny Robin's burial, the phrase carries a painful irony.  Fanny is not truly wicked; she is more a victim of circumstances and of sergeant Troy's conduct.  Yet social conven...

Dutch landscape painters of great repute who lived in the seventeenth century. Two names are always linked together: Jacob Van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema.  Hobbema trained under Ruisdael, travelled with him in sketching excursion, and Ruisdael even served as a witness at Hobbema's marriage in 1668. Both of them specialised in landscapes of Dutch country side: including forests and woodlands, streams and ponds, windmills and watermills, dramatic sky and changing light. Their styles were so similar that some paintings were later misattributed from one to other. Although closely connected, their artistic identity were distinct. Ruisdael was more romantic and emotional. He loved wild and powerful nature.  Often painted stormy skies and rugged scenery.  His paintings were of romantic grandeur. The Jewish Cemetery, Windmill at  Wijk bij Duurstede, View of Haarlem with Bleaching Fields are some of his great works.  Hobbema's creations are more peaceful and lyrical....

Griffin is a mythical creature, with the body tail and legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle.  Known as a symbol of strength, courage, and vigilance, it has been a popular motif in ancient mythology and art, and modern fantasy.  Mythological and Historical origin: Lion is the king of beasts and eagle the king of birds; and so griffin is considered the majestic ruler of all animals.  In ancient Greek and Persian lore griffins were famous for building nests out of gold in Central Asia.  According to modern historians and paleontologists these myths were originated from ancient people who happened to see the fossilized remains of dinosaurs near gold deposits.