The Missing Woman’s Search

Far from the Madding Crowd

This subplot follows how Fanny’s disappearance generates attempts to locate her, while incomplete knowledge delays recognition of her danger.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Empty Place The Empty Place from "Far from the Madding Crowd". Fanny Does Not Return Household alarm Bathsheba learns that Fanny is missing after the fire.

The Empty Place from "Far from the Madding Crowd". Fanny Does Not Return Household alarm Bathsheba learns that Fanny is missing after the fire.

Fanny Does Not Return Household alarm Bathsheba learns that Fanny is missing after the fire. The servants recall her low spirits and fear she may have gone to meet a soldier. An uncertain explanation No one knows exactly where she has gone or what has happened. Her absence is treated as a mystery before it is understood as a crisis.

Searching the Barracks Searching the Barracks from "Far from the Madding Crowd". Following a Military Lead A journey to Casterbridge William Smallbury goes to the barracks to learn whether Fanny followed her lover.

Searching the Barracks from "Far from the Madding Crowd". Following a Military Lead A journey to Casterbridge William Smallbury goes to the barracks to learn whether Fanny followed her lover.

Following a Military Lead A journey to Casterbridge William Smallbury goes to the barracks to learn whether Fanny followed her lover. The regiment has already moved on, removing the most direct lead. Rumor fills the gap The workers assume she has followed Troy, but they cannot confirm it. Their explanation gives shape to the absence without resolving it.

A Letter Arrives A Letter Arrives from "Far from the Madding Crowd". News Without an Address Fanny writes Fanny tells Gabriel she expects to marry Troy and asks him to keep the information secret.

A Letter Arrives from "Far from the Madding Crowd". News Without an Address Fanny writes Fanny tells Gabriel she expects to marry Troy and asks him to keep the information secret.

News Without an Address Fanny writes Fanny tells Gabriel she expects to marry Troy and asks him to keep the information secret. She returns the money Gabriel gave her, insisting it was a loan. Hope remains precarious Boldwood doubts that Troy is dependable, but the letter briefly suggests a happy outcome. Fanny’s lack of an address leaves her beyond the community’s reach.

The Union-house Discovery The Union-house Discovery from "Far from the Madding Crowd". The Search Ends Too Late Death reported The village learns that Fanny has died in the Union-house.

The Union-house Discovery from "Far from the Madding Crowd". The Search Ends Too Late Death reported The village learns that Fanny has died in the Union-house.

The Search Ends Too Late Death reported The village learns that Fanny has died in the Union-house. Bathsheba takes responsibility for bringing her former servant home for burial. Questions remain The account of Fanny’s last journey raises Bathsheba’s suspicions about what happened to her. The physical truth has arrived, but its personal meaning is still withheld.

The Secret Confirmed The Secret Confirmed from "Far from the Madding Crowd". A Hidden History Exposed The coffin opened Bathsheba discovers Fanny and her child, connecting her death to Troy’s concealed past.

The Secret Confirmed from "Far from the Madding Crowd". A Hidden History Exposed The coffin opened Bathsheba discovers Fanny and her child, connecting her death to Troy’s concealed past.

A Hidden History Exposed The coffin opened Bathsheba discovers Fanny and her child, connecting her death to Troy’s concealed past. Gabriel’s effort to spare her has postponed the revelation. Silence breaks Bathsheba confronts the reality of her marriage and Troy’s betrayal. The mystery of Fanny’s disappearance resolves into a moral and emotional catastrophe.

the night the regiment leaves Casterbridge

the morning after her disappearance

during the next lambing period

the day of the funeral arrangements

the night after the funeral