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    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy: "But time is short, and science is infinite…"
    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy: "But time is short, and science is infinite…"
    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy: "But time is short, and science is infinite…"
    Ebook341 pages9 hours

    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy: "But time is short, and science is infinite…"

    By Thomas Hardy

    3.5/5

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    Thomas Hardy (2nd June 1840 – 11th January 1928), celebrated poet and writer, was born in a modest thatched cottage near Dorchester in the West country, to a builder father. His mother came from a line of intelligent, lively and ambitious women so ensured her son had the best formal education available for their modest means although this ended when he was 16. He became a draughtsman specialising in the building of churches was able to give it up to be a full time writer and poet with the publication of Far From the Madding Crown which became a bestseller and like much of his work was serialised. His writing reflects his passionate beliefs for social reform and exposes the hypocrisy of the rules of the Victorian age which constrained many freedoms with convention and restricted the transcending of class boundaries. His novels are almost entirely set in rural Wessex which although fictional is clearly rooted in the SW counties of England where he was born and lived most of his life. Hardy’s writing caused controversy in his lifetime but despite this he was highly praised and showered with honorary doctorates from many universities, a knighthood, which he refused and in 1910 the prestigious Order of the Merit. Hardy sets out the premise of Two on a Tower in the preface as a “a wish to set the emotional history of two infinitesimal lives against the stupendous background of the stellar universe, and to impart to readers the sentiment that of these contrasting magnitudes the smaller might be the greater to them as men.” Astronomy and science was of particular interest to Hardy and he was clearly knowledgeable in this area as this novel demonstrates.. The two on the Tower are Lady Viviette Constantine and Swithin St Cleeve. The former is the wife of a wealthy land owner whose husband is away in Africa and the latter a young keen astronomer who has been using the Tower, on her land, to observe the night sky. The two fall in love and their ensuing relationship allows Hardy to explore love across class and age divide fully with many compelling twists and turns.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA Word To The Wise
    Release dateAug 20, 2013
    ISBN9781780009810
    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy: "But time is short, and science is infinite…"
    Author

    Thomas Hardy

    Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorchester, Dorset. He enrolled as a student in King’s College, London, but never felt at ease there, seeing himself as socially inferior. This preoccupation with society, particularly the declining rural society, featured heavily in Hardy’s novels, with many of his stories set in the fictional county of Wessex. Since his death in 1928, Hardy has been recognised as a significant poet, influencing The Movement poets in the 1950s and 1960s.

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    Reviews for Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy

    3.5/5

    96 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I read Two on a tower within two days and enjoyed it thoroughly. The story is simple: a love affair between an older woman and a handsome younger man. There is not too much of an age difference between them in today’s terms, the man Swithin St Cleve, just 20, Viviette Constantine, 28. What wonderful names Hardy selects for his characters. Other poles in the story are science, Swithin a budding young astronomer and Viviette, a woman full of emotion and experience. One is rich, Viviette, Swithin poor and from a different class. Viviette is married (to begin with anyway) and Swithin is not. A lot of the action takes place on top of a tower owned by Viviette. The footpaths and pathways under the trees to the tower are well and mysteriously trodden throughout the story. People just miss each other, deliberately or by chance; people disappear through doors unexpectedly or hide behind a curtain. Letters, life-changing, arrive at the last minute just after a different life-changing decision has been made. These last-minute twists and turns could not happen in the world of mobile phones. The complexities of marriage, Viviette’s marriage, and the death of her husband or rumour of it, are hard to believe. On top of all this is the claustrophobic pressure of village life and social etiquette. All eyes are in the couple and all around are whispers. The church plays a significant role from curate to Bishop. It is a real page turner and had me rushing towards the last page and the usual shocking denouement.I have now moved on to The hand of Ethelberta. The preface by Hardy in this edition leads me to believe that there will be ‘a certain lightness of mood’ (page v). We shall see.
    • 4/5
      “Two on a Tower” is one of my favourite Hardy novels. I’m reviewing this six years after I read it, so can’t offer an in-depth account, but I intend to give it a second look some day.What I do remember is another tragic love story, written like only Hardy could write. Definitely worth a read.
    • 4/5
      As always, Hardy's style is very user friendly. Two on a Tower is no exception. This was a simple and straightforward work in many ways. No unnecessary characters or detail, just an enjoyable story about the trials and tribulations of two lovers from very different backgrounds, both in terms of societal status and age. My only "complaint" was that the ending was both abrupt and did not flow from the actual work.For those looking for more character development, better to read The Mayor of Casterbridge. Nonetheless, a recommended read.
    • 3/5
      Somebody defined comedy as tragedy plus time. Reading Thomas Hardy's 1882 novel "Two on a Tower" I was reminded that the difference between comedy and tragedy can be even finer than that. It can merely be a matter of perspective. If you step into a puddle of water, it's a tragedy. If someone else steps into that puddle of water, it's a comedy.Have you ever listened to someone tell a story that could go either way? You had to closely watch the other person's face for clues as to whether you should be prepared to laugh heartily or express sympathy. That is a little what it's like reading this Hardy novel. The obstacles that pop up to interfere with the plans of his two lovers, Viviette Constantine and Swithin St. Cleve, are like those in a romantic comedy. But this is Thomas Hardy, and although he could write very funny scenes, especially early in his novels, you can usually expect a tragic ending. His modus operandi doesn't change much in Two on a Tower.Viviette is an attractive woman of about 30 whose husband left two years before to explore Africa. He has not been heard from since. This lonely woman begins to take an unseemly interest in Swithin, an amateur astronomer who has been using a tower on her husband's property to observe the heavens. She may be married and he may be nearly 10 years younger than her and interested only in science, but she is drawn to him just the same and becomes his benefactor, purchasing costly equipment for his use.When she learns her husband died in Africa, the romance becomes more two-sided, so much so that Swithin can no longer focus on his work. They decide to secretly marry, while continuing to live apart and secretly meeting at night (as if this will help him concentrate on astronomy). Then a bishop proposes marriage to Viviette, and her brother urges her to accept. And a girl in the village begins to take an interest in Swithin. The potential for comedy continues when Viviette learns her husband, while still very dead, did not die until much later than had been earlier reported. In fact, she did not become a widow until after she married Swithin. The complications go on from there.Someone else might have made a great comedy out of this material, but not Hardy. He did not even make a great tragedy. "Two on a Tower" is a pleasure to read, but it is easy to see why it is not considered one of his greatest accomplishments.
    • 5/5
      DESCRIPTION: In this novel, set in Wessex, the rich Lady Constantine lives a boring existence, also a chaste one, forced on her by an absent husband who may indeed be dead. But then she meets young Swithin, a naively ambitious astronomer, who shares with her his passion for the stars.

      MY REVIEW: One of the reasons I love this story is that the characters were incredibly unique for their era. The main female lead (Lady Constantine) is ten years senior to the male lead (Swithin).

      The other element I loved is how astronomy is a large part of the telling of the story: "This slightly-built romance was the outcome of a wish to set the emotional history of two infinitesimal lives against the stupendous background of the stellar universe, and to impart to readers the sentiment that of these contrasting magnitudes the smaller might be the greater to them as men."

      Hardy was a fatalist who could sympathize with the plight of women in an era where their pursuit of pleasure cold render them ruined, either by unwanted pregnancy and/or societal disdain and disgrace.

      He saw the yearning to be a sensual being, but all the many limitations that would prevent a woman from being able to thoroughly pursue her pleasure.

      Classic angst. Yearning. Agony.

      He played out a popular theme, an undying theme, in this story - the one told of two 'star-crossed' lovers.

      It's time for a re-read...
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this lesser known work of Thomas Hardy but the ending was quite a shock. In this book Hardy is starting to get into the more tragic works he is better known for.Lady Constantine has been abandoned by her husband who decided to go hunting in Africa a few years ago. He seems to be quite a bully as, before he left, he exacted a promise from his wife that she would not go into society during his absence. This promise has led Lady Constantine to a very circumscribed life. She meets Swithin St. Cleve who is using a tower on her husband's land to study astronomy. Swithin is only 20 years old and very good looking. "He had such a complexion as that with which Raffaelle enriches the countenance of the youthful son of Zacharias,-- a complexion which, though clear, is far enough removed from virgin delicacy, and suggests plenty of sun and wind as its accompaniment. His features were sufficiently straight in the contours to correct the beholder's firs impression that the head was the head of a girl." Lady Constantine (Viviette) thinks that the study of astronomy would be sufficiently interesting to her to take her out of her boring life. She is almost 10 years older than Swithin but finds herself quite attracted to him. When Swithin falls dangerously ill she flies to his bedside and kisses him with ardour. Swithin recovers and soon after Lady Constantine receives news that her husband has died of dysentery in Africa. Swithin realizes, after overhearing some locals, that Viviette is in love with him and he realizes that he loves her. This realization causes him to ignore his astronomy and he proposes to Viviette. They decide to marry in secret in Bath and then return to Wessex to live separately until Swithin achieves success. Viviette must be the one to establish residency in Bath because a storm has caused damage to Swithin's grandmother's house and he has to stay to repair it. On his way to Bath he meets the postman who gives him a letter informing him that a great-uncle has left him an annuity on the condition that he remain unmarried until he is 25 years old.Thus the major themes of the book are set in place. If the marriage takes place then Swithin loses his best chance to become a famous astronomer since neither he nor Viviette have much money and the life of a scientist is expensive. He may think his love for Viviette will be sufficient but there is also the age difference. If the marriage doesn't take place then at least one of them and perhaps both will be miserable. Swithin is the rational scientist but he is also deeply in love. Viviette is a romantic but she would give up her own happiness for Swithin. I'm a bit of an astronomy buff so I found lots of the details fascinating. In modern times the countryside has so much light pollution that it is difficult to see the Milky Way but Swithin and Viviette saw it as a bright ribbon across the sky. I envy that. One astronomy detail puzzles me though: at their first meeting Swithin is looking at the sun through his telescope. I've always heard that you should never look directly at the sun especially with lenses or you risk eye damage. How did Swithin (and later Viviette) manage to do this?
    • 5/5
      Hardy, of course, needs no review. But Michael Kitchen deserves credit for his fine reading of this tale.

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    Two On A Tower, By Thomas Hardy - Thomas Hardy

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