?Love is a possible strength in an actual weakness.? British novelist Thomas Hardy?s popular novel, Far From the Madding Crowd was published anonymously in serialized form in The Cornhill Magazine in 1874 and in book form under Hardy?s name the same year. Set in Wessex, the story revolves around Bathsheba Everdene, the owner of a small farm, and her relationships with three suitors?the handsome and flighty soldier, Sergeant Troy whom Everdene marries; the obsessive farmer, William Boldwood; and the steadfast and loving shepherd, Gabriel Oak who eventually becomes Everdene?s second husband. Imbued with an authentic sense of place, the novel brings the pastoral setting of Wessex alive. Hardy manages to weave together strands of comedy, melodrama, and tragedy with consummate skill while tracing the trajectory of Everdene?s tempestuous life and loves. The novel?s sensitive exploration of the many shades of love?selfless, loyal, fleeting, abusive, darkly obsessive? has endeared itself to readers over the years. It has been adapted for both the stage and screen with phenomenal success.