Thomas Hardy’s books are often referred to as particularly important stylistic examples of Victorian Realism. Although it has been criticized as pandering to an audience who wanted an exciting plot, The Mayor of Casterbridge is widely regarded as one of the author’s most complex and structurally interesting books. It has been called the most dramatic and least “literary” of Hardy’s novels, which can be attributed partially to its publication as a serial and its need to keep the interest of an audience over time. The novel is fast-paced and dense, as Hardy packs the plot with coincidence and surprises.
Hardy’s writing incorporates many different stylistic choices common to other writers of his period: the dense and colorful imagery of the Romantic poets, religious and sermonic language, and the narrator's many comments on what's happening in the plot. Elements of this book also suggest Hardy's later turn to a more modernist style. This shows especially when characters “think” through psychological and social problems and about their relationship with time. Modernist tendencies also shine through in the book’s close attention to changes and evolutions in society.
Hardy’s diction is erudite, literary, and highly descriptive, incorporating classical, biblical, and artistic references in a way that can at times make the novel seem quite academic. His descriptions of the inner world of each person he writes about are famously evocative and sharp, provoking a real sense of the character’s personality for the reader. Small instances of facial expression and changes in emotion are often lingered over for pages at a time. This focus contributes to the psychological realism of the novel. Many of Hardy’s sentences are long, dense, and full of figurative language. This echoes the detailed, complex and highly particular content of the book, which seeks to accurately and fully represent each thing or person it describes from several angles.
