This thesis is a study of Hardy's composition of The Mayor of Casterbridge based on the manuscript and the six published texts of the novel. After a brief history of the novel's composition and publication, and an investigation of the physical structure of the manuscript, the thesis attempts to examine the textual development of The Mayor under the subject categories of plot, characterization, and setting; narrator's voice, imagery, and style, the arrangement of material in each category following a chronological order. The principal intention of this study is to throw light both on the author's conception of his novel and on his methods of composition.<p
