Two on a Tower in Works of Thomas Hardy

Jun 16, 2010 Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-authors-translators, read-in-2011, my-western-canon, british-literature, read-in-2010, historical-fiction, victorian-literature, author-thomas-hardy

Well, I am sad to say, but I am slowly winding up my summer of reading the literary works of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. I recently finished Thomas Hardy's Two on a Tower, one of his more obscure novels. Two on a Tower was first serialized in the Atlantic Monthly and then published in book-form in 1882, and was categorized by Hardy as a novel of "Romance and Fantasies." I had the devil of a time finding a copy of this novel, and short of ordering a brand-new copy from an on-line source, I con Well, I am sad to say, but I am slowly winding up my summer of reading the literary works of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. I recently finished Thomas Hardy's Two on a Tower, one of his more obscure novels. Two on a Tower was first serialized in the Atlantic Monthly and then published in book-form in 1882, and was categorized by Hardy as a novel of "Romance and Fantasies." I had the devil of a time finding a copy of this novel, and short of ordering a brand-new copy from an on-line source, I continued to diligently search the shelves of every used bookstore I encountered. On a recent business trip to Arizona, I finally found a nearly new copy for six dollars!

In my opinion, Hardy has crafted an incredibly fascinating plot for the novel, and at times it reminded me of the plotting of Wilkie Collins. Also, the novel pivots almost entirely around just two characters, versus the more normal Hardyan plot with a larger number of country rustics intermingled with the protagonists. In Two on a Tower, much of the plot is solely focused on young Swithin St. Cleeve and the older Lady Constantine. St. Cleeve is a twenty-year old consumed with becoming a famous professional astronomer, who has been surreptitiously using an old tower on a hill in an isolated portion of Lady Constantine's absent husband's estate. Lady Viviette Constantine is a beautiful dark-haired woman, nearly ten years older than Swithin, who has been left alone for several years by her husband who is off adventuring on safari in Africa.

Over time the two meet and young St. Cleeve introduces Lady Constantine to the majesty and awe of the night sky above the rural Wessex countryside. Hardy's portrayal of the stars and planets, through Swithin's descriptions and patient tutelage of Lady Constantine as they huddle on top of the tower with his telescope, is one of the truly unique and particularly beautiful elements of this novel. It really illustrates Hardy's fascination and reverence for the natural world around him. Hardy obviously spent a lot of time researching the astronomical portions of his plot, as these sections are extremely well written and factually correct; both the descriptions of the night sky, and techniques that they use to view it, as well as the equipment Swithin constructs in the tower observatory. Fundamentally then, it seems to me, the novel is a story of the relationship of the human species with the universe in which we reside, and a relationship at its most elemental level--the Love between two humans.

Ah, but it is a plot written by Hardy; therefore this growing love between Swithin and Lady Constantine must of necessity become complicated, doesn't it? Well, yes it does, and here's where the similarities to Collins crop up. There are mysterious reports concerning Lady Constantine's missing husband; Lady Constantine's scheming older brother, Louis, shows up; and the pompous Bishop of Melchester, Lord Helmsdale, begins meddling in everyone's affairs. Oh, it gets good now, real good! I couldn't put it down at all from about the novel's mid-point on. I also found myself becoming quite attached to the characters, what few there are; and because there aren't that many, Hardy does a superb job of fleshing them out and bringing them to life on the page.

I want to share just a bit of Hardy's beautiful prose from the novel with you. This is from a scene, late at night at the height of a violent windstorm that catches Lady Constantine and Swithin atop the old tower attempting to perform some astronomical observations

"Under any other circumstances Lady Constantine might have felt a nameless fear in thus sitting aloft on a lonely column, with a forest groaning under her feet, and paleolithic dead men feeding its roots; but the passionate decision stirred her pulses to an intensity beside which the ordinary tremors of feminine existence asserted themselves in vain. The apocalyptic effect of the scene surrounding her was, indeed, not inharmonious, and afforded an appropriate background to her intentions.

After what seemed to her an interminable space of time, quick steps in the staircase became audible above the roar of the firs, and in a few instants St. Cleeve again stood by her."

Wow! Was that not just awesome? In just a few sentences, Hardy has managed to establish a connection between the raw power of Nature, the hundreds of generations of humans that have occupied this ancient landscape, and the genuine and palpable love that these two beings on the tower share for one another. Great stuff, and vintage Thomas Hardy! Find yourself a copy of this wonderful novel, and put it on your shelf and wait for a rainy day with no interruptions. You'll soon find yourself completely swept away and engrossed in the lives of Swithin St. Cleeve and his love, the beautiful Lady Constantine. This was a terrific novel, and I would give it 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Post Script--I actually found two copies of the novel, and presented one to my elderly father. He has been a quite serious amateur astronomer most of his life. He began reading it the day I gave it to him. I can't wait to hear his reaction when he's finished. ...more

50 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2014 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-books-read, astronomy, favorite-author, romance, science

Thomas Hardy said that he wrote this novel 鈥渢o set the emotional history of two infinitesimal lives against the stupendous background of the stellar universe鈥︹€� To begin the tale, a woman decides to investigate a tower and meets a young astronomer there who introduces her to the wonders of the night sky. As such, the novel is fiction about science rather than science fiction. Hardy uses the book as a social commentary on the Victorian rules of society and religion of the time. He sets our two sta Thomas Hardy said that he wrote this novel 鈥渢o set the emotional history of two infinitesimal lives against the stupendous background of the stellar universe鈥︹€� To begin the tale, a woman decides to investigate a tower and meets a young astronomer there who introduces her to the wonders of the night sky. As such, the novel is fiction about science rather than science fiction. Hardy uses the book as a social commentary on the Victorian rules of society and religion of the time. He sets our two star-gazers off on an seemingly impossible starry-eyed path where they鈥檙e met with obstacles to their relationship at every turn.

As a woman of means, Viviette helps Swithin (the astronomer) to acquire better instruments for his astronomical observations. Part of the reason behind this investment is to endear herself more to him. Disappointingly, Swithin tells Viviette that 鈥淸a] beloved science is enough wife for me,鈥攃ombined, perhaps, with a little warm friendship with one of kindred pursuits.鈥� Of course, a statement like that is an open invitation or perhaps an open challenge for Viviette to perhaps make herself more than just a warm friend. She says, 鈥淚 feel that I have been so foolish as to put in your hands an instrument to effect my own annihilation.鈥�

Hardy allows his characters to slowly get to know each other before they fall in love. I love the conversations that the 鈥渢wo on the tower鈥� have as Swithin is introducing Viviette to astronomy. Here鈥檚 a sampling:

Viviette: 鈥滲ut I wish to be enlightened.鈥�
Swithin: 鈥滾et me caution you against it.鈥�
Viviette: 鈥滻s enlightenment on the subject, then, so terrible?鈥�
Swithin: 鈥漎es, indeed.鈥�

鈥淪he laughingly declared that nothing could have so piqued her curiosity as his statement鈥︹€� After all, there鈥檚 nothing more appealing than a warning against enlightenment. Swithin goes on to challenge Viviette鈥檚 faith by saying that 鈥淸w]hatever the stars were made for, they were not made to please our eyes. It is just the same in everything; nothing is made for man.鈥�

While Swithin challenges Viviette鈥檚 faith as well as her ideas of right and wrong, she finds that she still worries about what others think of her and feels the need to act secretly. This is true even though she has no real friends or acquaintances within the village. Still, what would the neighbors think if she had a romantic interest so soon after hearing of her husband鈥檚 death abroad? What would they think if they knew she was in love with a man a decade younger than her (he鈥檚 in his early 20s and she鈥檚 in her early 30s)? What would they think if they knew she was in love with someone beneath her social level? The characters go to ridiculously great lengths to hide their meetings and feelings for each other, even at times when nobody is watching. Just when everything looks as if everything鈥檚 going to work out, another obstacle appears in the path. But all these problems could have been solved so easily if Viviette would just have acquiesced to allow their relationship to be known publicly from the beginning.

I have to admit that I vacillate between thinking that they should have just allowed their love to be public from the beginning and agreeing with this statement: 鈥淟ike a certain philosopher I would, upon my soul, have all young men from eighteen to twenty-five kept under barrels; seeing how often, in the lack of some such sequestering process, the woman sits down before each as his destiny, and too frequently enervates his purpose, till he abandons the most promising course ever conceived!鈥� I鈥檝e seen so many marriages begun before age 25 fail that I long ago adopted this philosophy of keeping men under barrels until they鈥檙e 25. Well, maybe they shouldn鈥檛 be kept under barrels, but I think couples should ideally wait until both are at least 25 before committing to marriage. There has been research in the past few years to suggest that the brain often doesn鈥檛 fully develop until age 25 or even the early 30s. I especially noticed a marked change in my male friends鈥� maturity level after age 25. And when I was in my late 20s trying to date guys in their early 20s, there was definitely a divide. I felt as if they were just discovering themselves, discovering the world, and working out their own philosophies while I was already past that. I felt almost as if I鈥檇 be a hindrance to their enthusiastic new self-discoveries. After all, I鈥檇 already been there and done that. And I did feel a little sheepish about dating a 19-year-old when I was 27 whereas I鈥檇 not have felt the same strangeness about dating a 25-year-old at age 33. Time can make a big difference where age gaps are concerned.

Age aside, I wonder how many Victorian women read this book and then afterwards went out to try to find themselves a young astronomer (or other scientist) to enlighten them. Through this novel, Hardy makes astronomers seem extraordinarily sexy in their singular and focused scientific endeavors: 鈥淲ithin his temples dwelt thoughts, not of woman鈥檚 looks, but of stellar aspects and the configuration of constellations. Thus, to his physical attractiveness was added the attractiveness of mental inaccessibility.鈥� And this is the crowning line to make all the Victorian literary fan girls truly swoon: 鈥淭here was a certain scientific practicability even in his love-making, and it here came out excellently.鈥� There probably weren鈥檛 enough scientists to go around after the Victorian fan girls read that line.

This was a great read on my journey through Hardy鈥檚 works. Those who enjoy a nice scientific romance railing against Victorian ideas would definitely enjoy it. And those young astronomers wishing to make themselves appear irresistible to the objects of their affection should request the objects of their affection read this book. Just a word of caution: don鈥檛 sneak a peek at the last page unless you want the entire story ruined for you. ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2015 Lobstergirl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

All of the astronomy just felt like a side story. This is the tale of the condition of the nineteenth century woman.* (Okay, the upper class nineteenth century woman, not that that makes it much better for her, really.)

* (view spoiler) ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2021 Kris rated it liked it

Shelves: new-reads-2021

Thomas Hardy, my man 鈥� are you okay? I am speechless at that ending.

This book is just all over town with plot. Another TH book with all kinds of tragic wild cards. I didn鈥檛 care for any of the characters too much 鈥� really, they are just controlled by the violent ocean of events, and their decisions make no sense. Not my favorite Hardy book. On to the next.

Like · see review