Abstract

      The present paper explores The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy for understanding the author’s metaphysical perspectives--particularly his stance vis-a-vis the role of metaphysical Power and human free will in determining not only the life of Michael Henchard but also the lives of other characters in the novel. The study problematises the conventional recognition of Hardy as an author with no faith in the metaphysical Deity and his purportedly consequent stance in favour of secular perspectives that attribute Michael Henchard’s tragedy to his own character traits. Contrarily, this paper aims to focus on Hardy’s ambiguities with regard to the factors that played the most determining roles in the world of The Mayor of Casterbridge thereby revealing his lack of an absolute position as regards the existence and the role of a metaphysical Power.

Key words: Metaphysical, Providence, Fate, Chance

Keywords

  • Antisocial Behavior
  • Social Development Model
  • Risk Factors
  • Protective Factors
  • Preventive Intervention Program

References

  1. Aquinas, Thomas Saint. Selected Philosophical Writings. Selected and translated by Timothy McDermott, Oxford University Press, 1993.
  2. Begga, Chanchal. "Man Aspires but Fate Conspires: Role of Fate and Chance in Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess of the D'Urbervilles." IJCRT, Vol. 10, Issue 9, 2022, https://ijcrt/papers/IJCRT 2209092, pp, 9-15.
  3. Collins, Deborah L. Thomas Hardy and his God, A Liturgy of Unbelief. The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1990.
  4. Cowburn, SJ, John. Free Will, Predestination and Determinism. Marquette University Press, 2008
  5. Dave, Jagdish Chandra, The Human Predicament in Hardy's Novels. Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.
  6. Dudley, John. Aristotle's Concept of Chance, Accident, Cause, Necessity and Determinism. State University of New York Press, 2012.
  7. Eagleton, Terry. "Flesh and Spirit in Thomas Hardy." Thomas Hardy and Contemporary Literary Studies, edited by Tim Dolin and Peter Widdowson, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 14-22.
  8. Gatrell, Simon. "The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Fate of Michael Henchard's Character. "Thomas Hardy, edited by Harold Bloom, Infobase Publishing, 2010, pp. 41-68.
  9. Hands, Timothy. Thomas Hardy: Distracted Preacher?. Palgrave Macmillan, 1989.
  10. Hardy, Thomas. The Mayor of Casterbridge. Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd., 2000.
  11. Hardy, Florence Emily. The Life of Thomas Hardy. Macmillan & Co., 1962.
  12. Harvey, Geoffrey. A Complete Critical Guide to Thomas Hardy. Routledge, 2003.
  13. Jedrzejewski, Jan. Thomas Hardy and the Church. Macmillan Press Ltd., 1996.
  14. Joad, C.E.M. God and Evil. Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1943.
  15. Miller, J. Hillis. "Speech Acts, Decision, and Community in The Mayor of Casterbridge." Thomas Hardy and Contemporary Literary Studies, edited by Tim Dolin and Peter Widdowson, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 36-53.
  16. Paterson, John. "The Mayor of Casterbridge as a Tragedy." Hardy: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A. J. Guerard, Englewood Cliffs, 1963, pp. 91-112.
  17. Rimmer, M. "My Scripture Manner: Reading Hardy’s Biblical and Liturgical Allusion." Thomas Hardy Reappraised: Essays in Honour of Michael Millgate, edited by Keith Wilson, University of Toronto Press, 2006, pp. 20-37.
  18. Schwarz, Daniel R. The Transformstion of the English Novel, 1890-1930. Macmillan Press Ltd, 1995.
  19. Schweik, Robert C. "Character and Fate in Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge, Nineteenth Century Fiction. Vol, 21. No 3, (Dec. 1966) pp. 249-262, University of California Press, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2932588.