The Trumpet-Major (Wordsworth Classics)

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Anne Garland, who lives with her widowed mother in a mill owned by Miller Loveday, has three suitors: the local squire's nephew Festus and the miller's two sons, Robert and John. While Festus' aggressive pursuit deters the young woman from considering him as a husband, the indecisive Anne wavers between light-hearted Bob and gentle, steadfast John. But as their Wessex village prepares for possible invasion by Napoleon's fleet, all find their destinies increasingly tangled with the events of history. The Loveday brothers, one a sailor and one a soldier, must wrestle with their commitments to their country and their feelings for Anne. Lyrical and light-hearted, yet shot through with irony, The Trumpet-Major (1880) is one of Hardy's most unusual novels and a fascinating tale of love and desire. Read more Details After reading Giap: The Victor in Vietnam I felt the need for something to settle my stomach - and hark what lay to hand but an old edition of The Trumpet-Major, ripe for re-reading.

And finally, John Loveday, the Trumpet-Major himself – Pierrot: In Commedia dell'arte, Pierrot was a comic servant character, often naïve, and always heart-broken by his unrequited love for Columbine. The French version of Pierrot became something of a 19th-century ‘meme’: a melancholy, white-faced figure, pensive and silent. John Loveday is a thoughtful, simple-hearted man. His pallor is often remarked on, too – a nod at Pierrot's painted white face. [10]

XXXI.  MIDNIGHT VISITORS

The evil Festus continues the melodrama by colluding with Matilda in telling the press-gang about Robert Loveday which then gives us a chapter of the farce of the gang trying to get him, of Anne being heroic and of Bob escaping in a most improbable way. The farce is soon to come to an end – although it is debatable whether it is a happy ending or notvii. Note added after this paper was delivered on Saturday 24 October 2020]. During the Study Day, Alastair Simpson – Actor and Musical Conductor of The New Hardy Players; spoke evocatively about Thomas Hardy being strongly influenced by the comèdia dell’arte characters of Harlequin (Bob Loveday), Columbine (Anne Garland), Pantaloon (Benjamin Derriman), Captain (Festus Derriman), Soubrette (Matilda Johnson) and, of course, Pierrot (John Loveday). Mark and Andrew North also delivered a paper on ‘A Ridge in Wessex: South Dorset During the Napoleonic Wars’ during which they paralleled real events with Hardy’s presentation of both the military as well as places in Dorset/Wessex in the novel. Speakers on the day compared Hardy’s presentation of the Fencibles to the Twentieth Century popular television comedy Dad’s Army. These, and other, links made during the day reinforce the strong theatrical/pantomimic/farcical underpinnings of aspects of Hardy’s The Trumpet-Major. Like some of Hardy's other famous and popular novels such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge such often implore and deal with deep concepts such as disappointment in love and the "perversity of life", but The Trumpet-Major also deal with these very themes present in many novels and poems which are often laid with a carefully controlled elegiac feeling and much irony in them that make them stand out among the Victorian classical works of literature.

Another interpretation focuses on the novel’s treatment of gender roles and expectations. The protagonist, Anne Garland, is a strong-willed and independent woman who defies societal norms by pursuing her own desires and ambitions. Some critics view Anne as a feminist figure ahead of her time, while others argue that her character is limited by the constraints of the Victorian era. The Trumpet-Major is a novel by Thomas Hardy published in 1880, and his only historical novel. Hardy included it with his "romances and fantasies". It concerns the heroine, Anne Garland, being pursued by three suitors: John Loveday, the eponymous trumpet major in a British regiment, honest and loyal; his brother Bob, a flighty sailor; and Festus Derriman, the cowardly nephew of the local squire. Unusually for a Hardy novel, the ending is not entirely tragic; however, there remains an ominous element in the probable fate of one of the main characters. The present writer, to whom this party has been described times out of number by members of the Loveday family and other aged people now passed away, can never enter the old living-room of Overcombe Mill without beholding the genial scene through the mists of the seventy or eighty years that intervene between then and now. Despite the mixed reception, “The Trumpet-Major” remains an important work in Hardy’s literary canon. Its exploration of themes such as love, war, and societal expectations continues to resonate with readers and scholars alike. Whether viewed as a historical novel, a social commentary, or a character study, “The Trumpet-Major” offers a rich and nuanced reading experience that invites further analysis and interpretation. Adaptations and InfluencesOverall, the symbolism and imagery in The Trumpet-Major add depth and complexity to the story, enhancing the reader’s understanding and appreciation of Hardy’s masterful storytelling. Language and Style The Daily News, Thursday November 19th 1908, Dorset Drama: Production of Mr Hardy’s "The Trumpet Major" Edward Neill has called the novel an attempt to repeat the success of his earlier work Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), after the limited success of his intervening works. [4] The novel originally appeared in 1880 in the Evangelical serial Good Words (January–December) with 33 illustrations by John Collier. [5] The three-volume first edition was published in October 1880. [6] Plot [ edit ] Window overlooking the Down [ edit ] The allegations of plagiarism did not affect the popularity of The Trumpet Major. In October, 1881, a second edition in one volume was printed by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, and reprinted in 1887, 1890, 1892, and 1893 (Weber 260). The flaw of unintentional plagiarism in The Trumpet Major is quite evident, although today, when the practice of postmodern citation, known as intertextuality, is widespread and acceptable, Hardy may be excused for borrowing a short printed text and placing it in a new context. In his 'Notebook' he had jotted down extracts or paraphrases from various sources and treated them as 'raw material' for his fiction. After some time he may not even have remembered whether the “militia drill scene” was a literal copy or a paraphrase. However, music also becomes a source of tension and conflict within the novel. The arrival of the military band, led by the charismatic John Loveday, introduces a new dynamic to the village. The band’s performances evoke a sense of patriotism and pride, but they also fuel rivalries and romantic entanglements. As the story unfolds, music becomes a symbol of desire and competition, driving a wedge between characters and testing their loyalties.

Thomson, George. “The Trumpet-Major Chronicle,” Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol. 17(1) 1962, 45-56. If these comic characters and interludes appear exaggerated, within the grand scheme of the novel as a whole, they are perfectly acceptable. Indeed, Hardy has given a convincing explanation of the art of fiction: ‘The whole secret of fiction and the drama – in the constructional part – lies in the adjustment of things unusual to things eternal and universal. The writer who knows exactly how exceptional, and how non-exceptional, his events should be made, possesses the key to the art’.viii Elsewhere Hardy adds, ‘Though a good deal is too strange to be believed, nothing is too strange to have happened’.ixThe novel portrays a society deeply divided by class distinctions, where one’s social standing determines their opportunities, relationships, and even their sense of self-worth. The protagonist, Anne Garland, finds herself caught between two worlds – the lower class she was born into and the upper-class aspirations she harbors. However, Hardy also explores the limitations and contradictions of religious beliefs. He questions the effectiveness of faith in the face of tragedy and the harsh realities of war. The characters’ struggles with doubt and their attempts to reconcile their beliefs with the harshness of their circumstances highlight the complexities of religious faith. Festus and Matilda are married, Anne and Bob are to be engaged, and John's regiment is posted away to battle in Spain, where, we are told, he will die.