Publisher and Publication Date: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2005. First published in the Belgravia magazine in installments starting in January and ending in December of 1878. Genre: Fiction. Classic British literature. Victorian novel. Romance. Pages: 462 pages with print to read. Format: Paperback. Source: Self-purchase.
Rating: Excellent.
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928.)
Link for the book @ Barnes and Noble.
Link for the list of books Thriftbooks sells of The Return of the Native.
This edition is the Wessex edition from 1912 which is the final revision.
If you are a fan of Gerard Manley Hopkins, I have a trivia question. Who illustrated The Return of the Native? Arthur Hopkins. He is the younger brother of the English poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins.
I’ve rated The Return of the Native excellent, not because it is a feel-good story, but because it is well-written, has captivating characters, the setting is vivid, it is a moral story, the growing plot makes it difficult to stop reading, and it is memorable.
Summary and My Thoughts Together:
The book is in sections:
- “Book First-The Three Women.”
- “Book Second-The Arrival.”
- “Book Third-The Fascination.”
- “Book Fourth-The Closed Door.”
- “Book Fifth-The Discover.”
- “Book Sixth-Aftercourses.”
The setting is Egdon Heath, England. The first chapter is completely about Egdon Heath. Egdon Heath is like a human character in the book because it is such a huge part of the story; it impacts the over-all mood of the story and the humans who live there.
The first chapter is one of the most beautiful opening chapters I’ve read in a book. Words like “pallid screen,” “face of the heath,” “complexion,” “watchful intentness,” “smiling,” “mockery” are words used in describing humans, but these words describe Egdon Heath.
Also in the first chapter, I read words that are often repeated. These words are “sombre,” “dark,” “shaking” “dread,” “night,” and “gloom” and they set the tone of the story. There is a dark and sombre mood that follows throughout the story. It is a prediction this will be a story with conflict and suffering.
Clym Yeobright is the person who identifies with the title. He falls in love with the enticing and bewitching beauty of Eustacia Vye. She had been in a relationship with another man. He still pursues her.
Clym and Eustacia marry and live in a little house beyond Egdon Heath. They marry one another but have different intentions, ideas, and dreams.
Eustacia wants to leave Egdon Heath. She has visions and dreams of an exciting and rich life away from the place she has lived. Whereas Clym believes he has married and settled down to a simple life with the woman he loves. This brings strong inner and outer conflicts with them that add to the plot.
Clym’s mother and Eustacia become enemies. Their conflict adds to the thickening plot.
The story has three women who are principal characters. Each have different personalities. They each go about conflict in different ways. They each have aspirations of varying differences.
The Return of the Native is an excellent choice for book discussion. The people can discuss so many different things: relationships, marriage, society, dreams, communication; and the way Hardy uses the setting to set the mood of the whole of the story or certain moments that reflect the characters.
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
Publisher and Publication Date: Barnes and Noble Classics. 2005. First published in the Belgravia magazine in installments starting in January and ending in December of 1878. Genre: Fiction. Classic British literature. Victorian novel. Romance. Pages: 462 pages with print to read. Format: Paperback. Source: Self-purchase.
Rating: Excellent.
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928.)
Link for the book @ Barnes and Noble.
Link for the list of books Thriftbooks sells of The Return of the Native.
This edition is the Wessex edition from 1912 which is the final revision.
If you are a fan of Gerard Manley Hopkins, I have a trivia question. Who illustrated The Return of the Native? Arthur Hopkins. He is the younger brother of the English poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins.
I’ve rated The Return of the Native excellent, not because it is a feel-good story, but because it is well-written, has captivating characters, the setting is vivid, it is a moral story, the growing plot makes it difficult to stop reading, and it is memorable.
Summary and My Thoughts Together:
The book is in sections:
The setting is Egdon Heath, England. The first chapter is completely about Egdon Heath. Egdon Heath is like a human character in the book because it is such a huge part of the story; it impacts the over-all mood of the story and the humans who live there.
The first chapter is one of the most beautiful opening chapters I’ve read in a book. Words like “pallid screen,” “face of the heath,” “complexion,” “watchful intentness,” “smiling,” “mockery” are words used in describing humans, but these words describe Egdon Heath.
Also in the first chapter, I read words that are often repeated. These words are “sombre,” “dark,” “shaking” “dread,” “night,” and “gloom” and they set the tone of the story. There is a dark and sombre mood that follows throughout the story. It is a prediction this will be a story with conflict and suffering.
Clym Yeobright is the person who identifies with the title. He falls in love with the enticing and bewitching beauty of Eustacia Vye. She had been in a relationship with another man. He still pursues her.
Clym and Eustacia marry and live in a little house beyond Egdon Heath. They marry one another but have different intentions, ideas, and dreams.
Eustacia wants to leave Egdon Heath. She has visions and dreams of an exciting and rich life away from the place she has lived. Whereas Clym believes he has married and settled down to a simple life with the woman he loves. This brings strong inner and outer conflicts with them that add to the plot.
Clym’s mother and Eustacia become enemies. Their conflict adds to the thickening plot.
The story has three women who are principal characters. Each have different personalities. They each go about conflict in different ways. They each have aspirations of varying differences.
The Return of the Native is an excellent choice for book discussion. The people can discuss so many different things: relationships, marriage, society, dreams, communication; and the way Hardy uses the setting to set the mood of the whole of the story or certain moments that reflect the characters.