"Far from the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy as a Criticism of Romantic Love

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Augsburg, language: English, abstract: Despite having been written a few decades after the romantic period, several elements of Romanticism appear in Hardy’s novel “Far from the Madding Crowd”. However, the concept of romantic love is strongly criticized in the novel. While playing an important role in the novel and characterizing many relationships, romantic love is always depicted in a negative light. This paper will begin with a definition of the term Romanticism. Following the definition, the paper will deal with how several elements of Romanticism are incorporated in the novel. The next part will examine the concept of romantic love and how it is criticized in Far from the Madding Crowd. After a definition of what is meant by romantic love, two different characters of the novel, who both suffer because of their romantic love towards another person, will be focused on. Finally, the ending of the novel, where the two protagonists are united, will be analysed and the type of love that characterizes their relationship will be discussed.