Far from the Madding Crowd · Chapter
XIII: Sortes Sanctorum; The Valentine explained
On a Sunday afternoon in February, Bathsheba and Liddy engage in a divination ritual using a Bible and key to predict marriage.
What happens
On a Sunday afternoon in February, Bathsheba and Liddy engage in a divination ritual using a Bible and key to predict marriage. Bathsheba then decides to send a valentine, initially intended for little Teddy Coggan, but after a coin toss with a hymn-book, she addresses it to the aloof and dignified Farmer Boldwood, sealing it with a 'Marry Me' stamp. The chapter highlights Bathsheba's impulsive and playful nature, as well as her growing awareness of Boldwood's indifference.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Free Will
Bathsheba's use of divination and a coin toss to decide the valentine's recipient illustrates the tension between superstition (fate) and her own whimsical choices (free will).
Deception and Honesty
The anonymous valentine sent to Boldwood is a playful deception, foreshadowing the misunderstandings and emotional consequences that follow.
Characters to notice
- Bathsheba Everdene
Engages in superstitious divination and impulsively sends a valentine to Mr. Boldwood, reflecting her capricious and independent spirit.
- Liddy Smallbury
Bathsheba's companion who suggests the valentine prank and encourages the divination, showing her playful and somewhat mischievous nature.
- William Boldwood
Mentioned as the object of Bathsheba's valentine; his aloofness in church piques her interest and leads to the impulsive gesture.
- Teddy Coggan
Originally intended recipient of the valentine, but Bathsheba changes her mind after a coin toss.
Key passages
“Of love as a spectacle Bathsheba had a fair knowledge; but of love subjectively she knew nothing.”
Bathsheba understood love as an observer, but had no personal experience of it.
Highlights Bathsheba's naivety and emotional immaturity regarding romantic feelings.
“So very idly and unreflectingly was this deed done.”
The valentine was sent without any serious thought or consideration.
Emphasizes the impulsive and thoughtless nature of Bathsheba's action, which sets off a chain of events.