The Trumpet-Major (Wordsworth Classics)

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Moreover, Hardy delves into the psychological toll that war takes on its participants. He delves into the inner struggles and moral dilemmas faced by soldiers, shedding light on the internal conflicts they grapple with as they are forced to confront the harsh realities of violence and death. The author’s vivid descriptions of battle scenes and the aftermath of war serve to emphasize the physical and emotional scars left on those who experience it firsthand. Romance, too, plays a significant role in the narrative. Hardy paints a vivid picture of the romantic landscape of the time, where societal expectations and conventions often clash with the desires of the heart. The reader is transported to a world where courtship rituals and social hierarchies dictate the course of love, adding an additional layer of tension and drama to the story.

The novel is set during a time of great national fervour and patriotism when a French invasion of Britain was anticipated. The novel also highlights as the French could anytime invade Britain, the emotions of the British people who feared an invasion were already cautious mid way through the novel. The very language that Festus uses places him on the stage of a pantomime. He repeatedly says ‘Dash my wig’ or simply ‘My wig’ (chapters 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 27). He is given to saying things like ‘I’ll come… hang me if I don’t’ and, most exaggeratedly, ‘O, my heart and limbs!’ (chapter 28). This way of exclaiming seems to run in the family since Benjamin Derriman says ‘Scrounch it all’ when exasperated (chapters 5 and 14). These are somewhat comic utterances that place their speakers apart from other characters – Festus the bully and manipulator and his uncle Benjamin Derriman the miser and coward. The latter is reminiscent of the miserly Felix Grandet in Balzac’s Eugénie Grandet (published 1833). Both men are deliciously horrible with a touch of pathos. Michael Irwin is right when he says that the Victorian novel reflects the popularity of melodrama in the Nineteenth Centuryv. The Trumpet-Major is full of what Irwin terms as the ‘extremities’ intrinsic to everyday life. Indeed, melodrama is used by Hardy precisely as Irwin suggests that melodrama in novels is: as a contrast to everyday life. Of course, Michael Irwin’s analysis of melodrama in the Nineteenth Century novel is significantly more complex than the simplistic use that I am making of it here for purposes of this brief talk. There are many examples of melodrama – and indeed, farce – in the novel. One example is the section which describes Benjamin’s insistence on Anne Garland coming to see him. When she eventually agrees to do so, he accompanies her down to a dark and dingy cellar to show her where he hides his tin box containing his valuables (chapter 24). Hardy, like all ‘great novelists’, in the words of Michael Irwin, ‘modulate[s] more or less uneasily into melodrama on occasion’.vi That is true in spades for The Trumpet-Major (1880), which offers up a highly unexpected genre-bending, or genre-blending, concoction. It is a historical novel, set in the Napoleonic period, with a convoluted romantic plot, and a surprising element of comedy, which the notes to my edition attributes to Hardy’s interest in the Victorian theatrical tradition of harlequinades, deriving ultimately from the commedia dell’arte. Anything less likely to have been penned by the author of Jude the Obscure can barely be imagined. It is recognizably Hardyesque only in its “Wessex” setting and its rich evocation of a vanished rural world.Hardy was born in 1840, some 35 years after this period, and it's not hard to imagine him sitting, as a child, listening to first-hand accounts of life in Dorset during that time and the way in which it dominated local people's lives. The sense of these real recollections is woven into The Trumpet-Major – from Anne Garland and the old sailor watching out for the Victory in the English Channel, to the pervasive fear of press-gangs and imminent invasion, to the news freshly brought of the Battle of Trafalgar and death of Nelson, told with both intimacy and a sense of its historical momentousness. One of the central themes in the novel is the limited agency afforded to women during this time period. Through the character of Anne Garland, Hardy portrays the struggles faced by women who were expected to conform to societal expectations of femininity. Anne, a young and spirited woman, finds herself torn between her desire for independence and the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles. As the daughter of a miller, she is expected to marry and settle down, but her aspirations for a more fulfilling life clash with these expectations. For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more. Overall, while “The Trumpet-Major” may not be as widely studied or celebrated as some of Hardy’s other works, it is a valuable addition to his literary canon. Its departure from his usual themes and settings, its lighter tone, and its strong female protagonist make it a unique and noteworthy piece of literature in its own right. Critical Reception and Interpretations

The meaning of a work of art cannot be defined merely in terms of its meaning for the author and his contemporaries. It is rather the result of a process of accretion, i.e. the history of its criticism by its many readers in many ages.’xiv I hope, that for this age, I have gone a little way towards showing that The Trumpet Major is not only enjoyable; it is also worthy of being taken seriously as a good novel. Anne’s relationship with John is also a significant factor in her character development. John is a kind and honorable man who is deeply devoted to Anne. However, he is also a soldier and is often away from home, which causes Anne a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty. Despite her love for John, Anne is hesitant to commit to him fully, as she fears the pain of losing him if he is killed in battle. 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.

Dr Faysal Mikdadi (THS Academic Director, Poet)

One of the most intriguing characters in Thomas Hardy’s The Trumpet-Major is Anne Garland. Anne is a young woman who is torn between two men: John Loveday, the trumpet-major, and Bob Loveday, his brother. Anne is a complex character who is both strong-willed and vulnerable. She is fiercely independent and refuses to be controlled by anyone, yet she is also deeply in love with John and struggles with her feelings for him throughout the novel. Through the characters’ interactions and experiences, Hardy explores the consequences of social class on personal relationships. Anne’s love for John is constantly challenged by her family’s disapproval, who view him as beneath their social standing. The novel delves into the complexities of love and the sacrifices one must make when societal expectations clash with personal desires. As the characters navigate the treacherous waters of love and romance, Hardy skillfully explores the themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the consequences of one’s choices. The reader is left pondering the nature of true love and whether it can withstand the tests of time and circumstance. Guerard, Albert. Thomas Hardy: The Novels and Short Stories. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1949.