The Mayor of Casterbridge is conventionally understood as being indebted to the forms of tragedy. Following the intertwined fates of its various protagonists, Thomas Hardy's narrative weaves its various strands together as these lead inexorably to the ultimate downfall of Michael Henchard. The essays in this New Casebook showcase some of the most original evaluations of Hardy, from a variety of theoretically informed positions such as Marxism, Feminism, phenomenology and psychoanalysis, as well as providing timely reassessments of the novel's structures and concerns. The introduction situates the novel in relation to the history of critical reception, of both Hardy's work in general and the novel in particular. In addition, it addresses the ways in which critical work on Hardy since the 1970s has sought to reassess the novelist, while complicating the reader's understanding and appreciation of Hardy.

Introduction; J. Wolfreys
The Mayor of Casterbridge, the Persistence of the Past, and the Dance of Desire; J. Hillis Miller
The Mayor of Casterbridge; B. Johnson
Fictitious Families; T. O'Toole
The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Fate of Michael Henchard's Character; S. Gatrell
The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Bounds of Propriety; M. Garson
The Minimisation of Sexuality; R. Langbaum
The Mayor of Casterbridge: Made of Money; J. Fisher
Haunting Casterbridge or, 'the Persistence of the Unforeseen'; J. Wolfreys
Agon in the Marketplace: The Mayor of Casterbridge as Bourgeois Tragedy ; M. Valdez Moses
Further Reading
Notes on Contributors
Index

JULIAN WOLFREYS is Associate Professor in the department of English at the University of Florida. He is series editor of the Transitions series.