"'To be loved to madness - such was her great desire' Eustacia Vye criss-crosses the wild Egdon Heath, eager to experience life to the full in her quest for 'music, poetry, passion, war'. She marries Clym Yeobright, native of the heath, but his idealism frustrates her romantic ambitions and her discontent draws others into a tangled web of deceit and unhappiness. Early readers responded to Hardy's 'insatiably observant' descriptions of t ..."
"'She looked absolutely pure. Nature, in her fantastic trickery, had set such a seal of maidenhood upon Tess's countenance that he gazed at her with a stupefied air: "Tess- say it is not true! No, it is not true!"' Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When ..."
""Miss Fancy Day; as neat a little figure of fun as ever I see, and just husband-high."One of the most popular of Hardy's novels, Under the Greenwood Tree is a delightful and humorous depiction of life in an early Victorian rural community. The story delicately balances the concerns of the Mellstock parish choir with a romance between the village schoolmistress and a member of the choir. Hardy thought well enough of the tale to place it ..."
Under the Greenwood Tree(Reprint) (Oxford World's Classics) by ThomasHardy, SimonGatrell Paperback, 218 Pages, Published 2009 by Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-19-953851-5, ISBN: 0-19-953851-4
"This edition presents a critically established text based on comparisons of every revised version. Hardy placed this tale among his Novels of Character and Environment, a group which is held to include his most characteristic work.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, p ..."
"Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When Tess meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice. Hardy's indictment of society's double standards, and his depiction of Tess ..."
"In Hardy's The Return of the Native, Eustacia Vye criss-crosses the wild Egdon Heath, eager to experience life to the full in her quest for "music, poetry, passion, war." She marries Clym Yeobright, a native of the heath, but his idealism frustrates her romantic ambitions and her discontent draws others into a tangled web of deceit and unhappiness. Early readers responded to Hardy's "insatiably observant" descriptions of the heath, a se ..."
Under the Greenwood Tree(Updated) (Oxford World's Classics) by ThomasHardy, SimonGatrell Paperback, 218 Pages, Published 1999 by Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-19-283517-8, ISBN: 0-19-283517-3
"This edition presents a critically established text based on comparisons of every revised version. Hardy placed this tale among his Novels of Character and Environment, a group which is held to include his most characteristic work."
"This provides a criticism of one of Hardy's most popular novels, originally written in 1891, which is frequently set for A-level and university students. Examining the centrality of Hardy's heroine, Graham Handley focuses upon the phases of Tess' existence, emphasizing at the same time the symbolism and relevance of the novel's secondary characters. His analysis of the descriptive and figurative patterns that run through the novel, his ..."
"The passionate Eustacia Vye feels herself imprisoned in the wild, isolated Egdon Heath ("`Tis my cross...and will be my death"), and although she longs for a love that will free her from it, her marriage only serves to trap her deeper within it. Her husband, Clem Yeobright, is the native of the novel's title, returned from Paris with a scheme for educating the heath-folk. Though Hardy's story is one of fatally tangled relationships, the ..."
Far from the Madding Crowd(Updated) (Oxford World's Classics) by ThomasHardy, SimonGatrell Paperback, 528 Pages, Published 1998 by Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-19-283391-4, ISBN: 0-19-283391-X
"Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to apply the name of Wessex to the landscape of south west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. When the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene inherits her own farm, she attracts three very different suitors: the seemingly commonplace, man-of-the-soil Gabriel Oak, the dashing young soldier, Francis Troy, and the respectable, middle-aged Far ..."
"This edition of Hardy's classic novel retains the text of the first edition of 1878, without the later changes that substantially altered Hardy's original intentions. A section of explanatory notes by Nancy Barrineau lists the significant revisions. The general editor of this edition is Simon Gatrell, the author of "Hardy the Creator"."
"The classic tale of Tess Durbeyfield, wronged by two men and driven to vengeful murder, shows Hardy at his most fatalistic. Hardy felt that this was the finest of his novels, and that Tess was the most deeply felt character he ever created."
"This edition presents a critically established text based on comparisons of every revised version. Hardy placed this tale among his Novels of Character and Environment, a group which is held to include his most characteristic work."
"When Tess D'urbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism ..."
Far from the Madding Crowd(7th Edition) (The World's Classics) by ThomasHardy, SimonGatrell Paperback, 528 Pages, Published 1993 by Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-19-282782-1, ISBN: 0-19-282782-0
"Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to apply the name of Wessex to the landscape of south west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. When the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene inherits her own farm, she attracts three very different suitors: the seemingly commonplace, man-of-the-soil Gabriel Oak, the dashing young soldier, Francis Troy, and the respectable, middle-aged Far ..."
ThomasHardy and the Proper Study of Mankind(Reprint) (Victorian Literature and Culture) by SimonGatrell Paperback, 206 Pages, Published 2015 by University Of Virginia Press ISBN-13: 978-0-8139-2935-4, ISBN: 0-8139-2935-0
"Simon Gatrell offers a fresh and stimulating exploration of Hardy's account in fiction of the individual man or woman's relationship with various aspects of the encompassing world- with other men and women, with the aggregation known as society, with the natural and artificial environment, and with the supernatural. He focuses on the importance of community in Hardy's fiction, especially on the ability of rural villages and towns to wit ..."