H05019 MICHAEL HENCHARDS CHARACTER - 3/15/05 - HARDY FORUM ARCHIVES ____________________________________________________________________________
From: michael@perceptivecreation.co.uk
Subject: Michael Henchard
Date: March 14, 2005 8:10:50 PM PST
Members of the discussion circle were very kind and generous to me/my theatre company (The Wessex Actors Company - a reg charity) when we restaged Tess in 2001 - and let me use an edited version of the responses to a query I posed on the character of Tess as a programme article - which credited both the association and those quoted, and was very well received.
May I sound you out again? We're getting close to a regional tour of Mayor (29 April to 4 June - and if I may I'd like to post the itinerary once it's finally finalised) and I must now put the programme together.
Henchard is a deeply complex character, and I'd love to hear your responses to him. If it helps to focus in a bit: I've been referring to him as a junior King Lear. Whilst I still have some Hardy novels to read (sorry about that!), there does seem to be an interest on his part in characters who strive to rise in life, who aspire to something better, but are held back by social constraints, class structure, paternalism, prejudice, whatever. I'm particularly thinking of Tess and Jude.
Henchard starts out very lowly, by implication aspiring to something better - but 2 chapters and bang - 20 years pass and he's made it big time! The story is about his trend back to lowly, rather than about his rise or failure to rise. Is this unique to Hardy? Is Henchard radically different from his other central characters? Also possibly in his (what I think of as Shakespearian) self-destructiveness - ie that had he been different, capable of learning how to relate, he might have continued happily at the top of the heap?
With thanks in anticipation!
Michael Barry
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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu
Subject: Re: Michael Henchard
Date: March 15, 2005 11:54:06 AM PST
Michael - if you can get hold of a copy of Keith Wilson's first edition version of MC (Penguin World Classics, 1997) --it won't involve a load of reading! - the Introduction alone gives excellent insights into Henchard's character and his Job/Lear associations.
Of course, "had he been different" there'd be no story to tell -- . And, in terms of Hardy's sympathy for the common plight of humanity, it has to be said that for everyone who makes it to the "top" there must be hundreds, thousands even, who have struggled and dreamed and failed.
I hope the Forum offers you something more on this intriguing topic!
Cheers,
Rosemarie
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From: hardycor@owl.csusm.edu
Subject: Re: Michael Henchard
Date: March 15, 2005 1:41:40 PM PST
Michael, you might like to go to the Forum Archives:
http://www.yale.edu/hardysoc/Welcome/Forum/Searchable%20Archives.htm
and look at at file H03066 in August of 2003. There was a discussion there
of the A & E production of Mayor in which Rosemarie and I had one of our
rare friendly spats about Henchard's motivation behind the Will. I believe
we agreed to disagree in the end.
A note to others who may wish to search the Forum Archives for material.
We now have two search engines. The upper one--Google-- is practically
useless now, they seemed to have lost interest in updating it. However, if
you go to the lower search engine--Crawl--you should have more success.
Good luck Michael with your new show!
Betty
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From: michael@perceptivecreation.co.uk
Subject: Re: Michael Henchard
Date: March 16, 2005 6:11:30 PM PST
Many thanks Rosemarie and Betty - will chase up the helpful refs ASAP. Very
kind of you.
By the way, I think I've pulled off an interesting coup - the Mayor of
Dorchester retires 3 days after our performance of the Mayor of Casterbridge
at the Corn Exchange. I think he's agreed to bring some of his councillors
to the show as a retirement party! I only hope he doesn't take Henchard's
post-Mayoral future personally!
Michael Barry
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From: jacky@wilkibob.me.uk
Subject: RE: Michael Henchard
Date: March 17, 2005 4:30:53 AM PST
I only hope the furmity woman doesn't arrive!!
By the way, how exciting doing a production of this novel. I love Henchard
because he's so human, he always reminds me of Saint peter who made so many
avowals of loyalty until the cock crowed!
Jacky Wilkinson
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From: Rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu
Subject: Re: Michael Henchard
Date: March 17, 2005 4:56:39 AM PST
Break a Leg, Michael!
One other suggestion, should you be interested in Hardy's own legal interests and possible background to Henchard's characterisation: Hardy started a Notebook soon after he'd settled in Dorchester where he was to become a magistrate (and spent more years as a magistrate than as a novelist!). The Notebook (held at the DCM) -- which resembles a Commonplace Book rather than a Writer's Notebook -- is called "Facts From Newspapers, Histories, Biographies, & other chronicles -- (mainly Local)" and is primarily concerned with documenting local, legal issues, the law and its various applications including specific criminal cases. In some instances it appears that Hardy has applied his imaginative talents to some of the entries (naturally !) His investigations into the law went back far into his youth and remained a lifelong interest -- he was fascinated by court procedures, witness testimony etc..
I haven't seen the MS of *The Mayor of Casterbridge* but I have read the "Facts ...Mainly Local" Notebook and wonder how far Hardy (given his keen interest in the law) had to resist turning Henchard into a legal eagle!
Good Luck,
Rosemarie
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