In a tragedy that clears the path for a happy ending, Farmer Boldwood shoots Sergeant Troy and is subsequently jailed.  
This 1874 novel, originally published serially in the Corn Hill Magazine, was its author's first commercial success.  The main action of the novel takes place in the area surrounding Norcombe Hill and the village of Weatherbury in Wessex.  In a tragedy that clears the path for a happy ending, Farmer Boldwood shoots Sergeant Troy and is subsequently jailed.  For 10 points-name the Thomas Hardy novel revolving around the relationship between the steadfast farmer Gabriel Oak and the independent Bathsheba Everdene whose title reflects Hardy's theme of avoiding an urban lifestyle.
This 1874 novel, originally published serially in the Corn Hill Magazine, was its author's first commercial success.  
Far From the Madding Crowd