Two on a Tower edition by Thomas Hardy Reference eBooks
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Two on a Tower edition by Thomas Hardy Reference eBooks
Thomas Hardy's writing is always evocative of atmosphere and filled with meaningful symbolism. This tragic novel is no exception and once again fictional rural Wessex and the ecclesiastical center of Melchester provide the setting for two individuals who fall in love with all the circumstances of social position and differences in wealth arrayed against them. In the case of Viviette Constantine and the Astronomer St. Cleve age difference is added to the volatile mix of factors that doom their love for each other. Hardy provides several twists of fate that irrevocably challenge this pair who through an overly developed respect for social convention leave their feelings for each other hidden from everyone else in their lives with tragic consequences. For those who love Hardy's work and enjoyed Jude The Obscure or The Mayor of Casterbridge , Two On A Tower will satisfy the desire for another wonderfully written story with similar themes and settings. I personally can never get enough of Hardy and highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed his better known works.Product details
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Two on a Tower edition by Thomas Hardy Reference eBooks Reviews
I was not familiar with this Thomas Hardy book. Hardy is perhaps my favorite author. The book is pure Hardy. It is perhaps too long. Much time is spent building the characters. But, if you like Hardy and understand how he writes and enjoy his use of words, then you'll like this book. The narrator/reader did a fabulous job of reading the book. Bravo for the reading.
... with one foot mired in Victorian propriety and the other in the modern world! On one hand to be so eager to challenge conventions, and on the other to be unable to bluntly declare his heroine pregnant! No novel I've ever read has been so plainly riven between two paradigms. Curiously, Two on a Tower begins in the democratic age of modern skepticism and then regresses inexorably to the class-conscious, superstition-bound era of Gothic romance.
The first three chapters of the book are as engaging an opening as any Hardy ever wrote, establishing a glorious setting in an abandoned tower in rural 'Wessex', introducing two prepossessing characters who will unquestionably become the love-interest of the tale, and brilliantly contrasting the folkways of a vanishing rural culture with the intellectual turmoil implicit in the discoveries of science in the modern world. The scene in which the new vicar attempts to persuade his local yokel choir to sing at A440 rather than the time-hallowed A415 is preciously funny, reminiscent of the earlier Hardy novels "Under the Greenwood Tree" and "Far from the Madding Crowd." But in close juxtaposition, the young 'leading man' - Swithin St. Cleeve - eloquently describes the fearsome anxiety he feels at realizing the infinitesimal insignificance of humankind in the scope of the cosmos. What he portrays is exactly what I (and you too, dear reader?) feel upon looking into deep time and empty space -- the feeling I call astrophobia. Swithin, admirably, is not daunted by his own insight; rather he aspires to contribute to that very knowledge which has made his traditional worldview unsustainable.
Enter the woman, of course. Lady Constantine is an abandoned, abused wife, living the hollowest chivalric mockery of traditional male-female relationships. She's beautiful, she has resources, she's impressionable and impulsive... and she's eight years older than Swithin. She will, obviously from first appearance in the text, seek to find her 'realization' in Swithin's potential as a scientist and in her own role in furthering that potential. Obstacles, need we say, will arise. From chapter four onward, this promising 'novel of ideas' quickly transforms itself into the most rhapsodic Avon Romance, superior to Danielle Steele only in the quality of descriptions. I should say, however, that as an Avon Romance, Two on a Tower is a darn good one.
Significant coincidences and momentous chance encounters are the heart's pulse of the Victorian novel, the organizing principle, the primary means of compression of action, the successors to the "deus ex machina" of earlier epics. Every Victorian novel has a few of them, and it's silly to object since they are intrinsic to the genre. This almost-Post Victorian novel has more than its share, and they seem awkward here precisely because they fail to serve the modernist themes and dispassionate observations of the author. Perhaps in the age of pre-modern credulity -- that is, of religious certainty -- such fortuitous interventions of 'fate' were taken for granted. One could build a critical career, I think, by maintaining that the 'modern' novel was born when the last coincidence was excluded from the plot.
I'm surprised that most of the previous reviewers have been charmed by this strangely tragic tale. I would have guessed that no one had ever been satisfied with its outcome. Certainly it was not a success at the time of its publication, and it hasn't received much respectful attention from literary scholars since. Me? I enjoyed it a lot, at the same time as feeling disappointed in it. Poor Thomas Hardy had the most divided 'soul' of any novelist who ever wrote, aching for the old certainties and the quaint tranquillity of pre-modern England yet somberly aware of their futility. He couldn't keep his footing on both sides of the chasm, so he chose to cultivate nostalgia for the very objects of his mockery. When a living man defines himself as 'conservative,' he effectively consigns his mind to hibernation. Hardy's 'conservatism' was a surrender to pessimism, a confession of defeat before the battle.
Two on a Tower is among Thomas Hardy's least known novels, and though not in his top tier, is excellent and would be nearly anyone else's best. It certainly deserves a far wider readership, as it has both many usual strengths and is in several ways unique, making it worthwhile for both fans and others.
The main unique factor is the astronomy focus. Hardy had significant interest in and knowledge of astronomy, which pops up in his work here and there, but only Two deals with it extensively. The main male character is an astronomer, and the field gets considerable attention; readers can learn a fair amount about it from Two, as there are many technical terms, historical references, and other descriptions. The focus is indeed so strong that Two might almost be called proto-science fiction; astronomy is not integral to the plot, but its background importance is very high. Hardy was no scientist but researched extensively, taking great pains to be accurate, and it shows. The science has of course changed much in the century plus since, but the basics here focused on are essentially unaltered, and we also get an interesting historical perspective. Hardy in any case adapts astronomy to his purposes, not least by using terminology metaphorically - a risky move that could have been disastrously corny but is very well-done. More importantly, he shows it through the lens of his infamously pessimistic, naturalist philosophy. Many astronomers think of their field as one of wonder and beauty, but Hardy sees it very differently. Two is well worth reading for these factors alone, especially for anyone interested in astronomy.
The astronomy angle also has other important effects, not least in portraying the scientific mindset and culture of science just as it was beginning to arise. Much later novels like Sinclair Lewis' Arrowsmith (1925) are almost universally credited with first showing this, but Hardy was far ahead of his time here as in so many ways, essentially displaying it all in 1882. Two even anticipates stereotypes - such as scientists taking things too literally and being socially inept - not common until after World War II. It dramatizes many important related issues scientists' single-minded devotion to study, the pure vs. practical research problem, the annoying but impossible to ignore finance issue, etc. It also incorporates related themes closer to Hardy's heart-centered, empathy-driven worldview the problem of study vs. society, love vs. work, etc. Such dynamics are very complex, and he handles them deftly, making them not only interesting and thought-provoking but affecting.
All this may sound as if Two is inaccessible, but it is thankfully very far from so. Early chapters seem to move the book toward true early science fiction, well away from previous Hardy territory, but this soon proves untrue. It changes to his central concern a story of - in this case quite literally - star-crossed lovers with consequent issues of class, law, morality, and religion. Fans will probably be glad, while some others may be disappointed, but the drama is so well-done that is surely impossible not to be at least moved. This plot aspect is very similar to several other Hardy works, and some elements are virtually verbatim, but many usual strengths are at near full force. Chief among them is Hardy's near-unparalleled portrayal of emotion; whatever else we think of the characters, it would take a hard heart indeed not to feel for them. Hardy always deals in universal human emotions, making his highly dramatic works accessible to all. The characters themselves are also very engaging; Hardy is famous for heroines, and Viviette is another in his long list of great ones and deserves to be much better known. Swithin is in many ways engrossing, if less sympathetic, while Louis and the bishop are two of his more memorable villains. The latter two may be somewhat one-dimensional, but the main characters are richly complex and full of verisimilitude. Finally, Hardy always pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable, and Two, like several of his other novels, was viciously attacked, even condemned, for undermining religion, law, and morality. Hardy's 1895 Preface notes that things had changed so much even by then that readers would be hard-pressed to find anything offensive, and Two is so superficially tame by our standards that the very idea of it causing controversy is laughable. However, time has allowed us to get past such trappings and appreciate Hardy's still unfortunately valid points about laws that are unjust and/or nonsensical, a church that is corrupt, and a society that is hypocritically prudish and optimistically self-important.
Strong as Two's core is, occasionally questionable execution keeps it well below Hardy's best. Different as it is in some ways from his other novels, it in other ways exaggerates tendencies that many always dislike in him. The plot is very dense, probably too much for many, with multiple twists in such quick procession that it is easy to dismiss the book as unbelievable. Hardy's heavy coincidence use is often noted; it is common in Victorian fiction but even more so in him, which often annoys those favoring more straightforward recent novels. However, unlike weak writers who rely on it for plot and hope we will not notice, he uses it deliberately and even draws attention to it because of his deterministic beliefs. Fans inevitably come to terms with this, but he arguably simply goes too far here, especially as he does not take as much trouble to justify it as usual. In addition, while there are no plot holes in the usual sense, some points, especially about Louis, are never explained. To be fair, it must be noted that Two has an incredible amount of suspense, far more than we expect from Victorian works. He also has a nearly scientific ability to know what we expect and do something different, which is highly admirable in any writer. On the other hand, the dialogue is also almost certainly Hardy's most artificial - so much so that it is at times nearly risible. Finally, Two is arguably a bit overly melodramatic, especially the rushed ending. Hardy later classed it as one of his "Romances and Fantasies" where realism was not consciously maintained, and his Preface admits the book was not well put together. This is partly because, in contrast to his usual practice, he did not proof the serial or revise for book publication; in addition, several differing manuscripts floated around at once, and not all changes were implemented. Hardy was usually an inveterate reviser but gave Two unusually little attention, and it shows. A thorough revision would likely have fixed at least several weaknesses, but Two is still quite strong.
All told, though Two should be no one's first Hardy novel, anyone who likes his others should certainly pick it up eventually, and those who have disliked one or two may also find it appealing.
Thomas Hardy's writing is always evocative of atmosphere and filled with meaningful symbolism. This tragic novel is no exception and once again fictional rural Wessex and the ecclesiastical center of Melchester provide the setting for two individuals who fall in love with all the circumstances of social position and differences in wealth arrayed against them. In the case of Viviette Constantine and the Astronomer St. Cleve age difference is added to the volatile mix of factors that doom their love for each other. Hardy provides several twists of fate that irrevocably challenge this pair who through an overly developed respect for social convention leave their feelings for each other hidden from everyone else in their lives with tragic consequences. For those who love Hardy's work and enjoyed Jude The Obscure or The Mayor of Casterbridge , Two On A Tower will satisfy the desire for another wonderfully written story with similar themes and settings. I personally can never get enough of Hardy and highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed his better known works.
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