Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

Overview

"O deliver my heart from this fearful gloom and loneliness," prays the passionate Eustacia Vye, who detests her life amid the dreary environs of Egdon Heath. With the return of Clym Yeobright from Paris, her escape from the heath and its brooding isolation appears to be at hand. Clym finds in Eustacia the same dark mystery of his native heath, and his irresistible attraction to them both leads to a clash of idealism and realism. Thomas Hardy's timeless tale of a romantic misalliance embodies his view of character as fate and underscores the tragic nature of ordinary human lives. Despite his grim outlook, Hardy charms readers with the warmth and vitality of his characters, his loving portraits of the English countryside, and his realistic recreations of local dialect. Shakespearian in its intricate plotting and deft irony, The Return of the Native ranks among the author's greatest works.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409059677
Publisher:	Random House
Publication date:	06/08/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Thomas Hardy, whose writing immortalized the Wessex countryside and dramatized his sense of the inevitable tragedy of life, was born at Upper Bockhampton, near Stinsford in Dorset in 1840, the eldest child of a prosperous stonemason. As a youth he trained as an architect and in 1862 obtained a post in London. During his time he began seriously to write poetry, which remained his first literary love and his last. In 1867-68, his first novel was refused publication, but Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), his first Wessex novel, did well enough to convince him to continue writing. In 1874, Far from the Maddening Crowd, published serially and anonymously in the Cornhill Magazine, became a great success. Hardy married Emma Gifford in 1878, and in 1885 they settled at Max Gate in Dorchester, where he lived the rest of his life. There he had wrote The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895).

With Tess, Hardy clashed with the expectations of his audience; a storm of abuse broke over the “infidelity” and “obscenity” of this great novel he had subtitled “A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented.” Jude the Obscure aroused even greater indignation and was denounced as pornography. Hardy’s disgust at the reaction to Jude led him to announce in 1869 that he would never write fiction ever again. He published Wessex Poems in 1898, Poems of the Past and Present in 1901, and from 1903 to 1908, The Dynast, a huge drama in which Hardy’s conception of the Immanent Will, implicit in the tragic novels, is most clearly stated.

In 1912 Hardy’s wife, Emma died. The marriage was childless and had been a troubled one, but in the years after her death, Hardy memorialized her in several poems. At seventy-four he married his longtime secretary, Florence Dugdale, herself a writer of children’s books and articles, with whom he live happily until his death in 1928. His heart was buried in the Wessex Countryside; his ashes were placed next to Charles Dickens’s in the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Date of Birth:

June 2, 1840

Date of Death:

January 11, 1928

Place of Birth:

Higher Brockhampon, Dorset, England

Place of Death:

Max Gate, Dorchester, England

Education:

Served as apprentice to architect James Hicks

Read an Excerpt

A SATURDAY afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment. Overhead the hollow stretch of whitish cloud shutting out the sky was as a tent which had the whole heath for its floor.

The heaven being spread with this pallid screen and the earth with the darkest vegetation, their meeting-line at the horizon was clearly marked. In such contrast the heath wore the appearance of an instalment of night which had taken up its place before its astronomical hour was come: darkness had to a great extent arrived hereon, while day stood distinct in the sky. Looking upwards, a furze-cutter would have been inclined to continue work; looking down, he would have decided to finish his faggot and go home. The distant rims of the world and of the firmament seemed to be a division in time no less than a division in matter. The face of the heath by its mere complexion added half an hour to evening; it could in like manner retard the dawn, sadden noon, anticipate the frowning of storms scarcely generated, and intensify the opacity of a moonless midnight to a cause of shaking dread.

In fact, precisely at this transitional point of its nightly roll into darkness the great and particular glory of the Egdon waste began, and nobody could be said to understand the heath who had not been there at such a time. It could best be felt when it could not clearly be seen, its complete effect and explanation lying in this and the succeeding hours before the next dawn: then, and only then, did it tell its true tale. The spot was, indeed, a near relation of night, and when night showed itself an apparenttendency to gravitate together could be perceived in its shades and the scene. The sombre stretch of rounds and hollows seemed to rise and meet the evening gloom in pure sympathy, the heath exhaling darkness as rapidly as the heavens precipitated it. And so the obscurity in the air and the obscurity in the land closed together in a black fraternization towards which each advanced half-way.

The place became full of a watchful intentness now; for when other things sank brooding to sleep the heath appeared slowly to awake and listen. Every night its Titanic form seemed to await something; but it had waited thus, unmoved, during so many centuries, through the crises of so many things, that it could only be imagined to await one last crisis—the final overthrow.

From the Paperback edition.

Table of Contents

Book 1

The Three Women

I.

A Face on Which Time Makes But Little Impression

1

II.

Humanity Appears upon the Scene, Hand in Hand with Trouble

4

III.

The Custom of the Country

9

IV.

The Halt on the Turnpike Road

25

V.

Perplexity among Honest People

29

VI.

The Figure against the Sky

39

VII.

Queen of Night

49

VIII.

Those Who Are Found Where There Is Said to Be Nobody

54

IX.

Love Leads a Shrewd Man into Strategy

58

X.

A Desperate Attempt at Persuasion

65

XI.

The Dishonesty of an Honest Woman

72

Book 2

The Arrival

I.

Tidings of the Comer

79

II.

The People at Blooms-End Make Ready

83

III.

How a Little Sound Produced a Great Dream

86

IV.

Eustacia Is Led on to an Adventure

89

V.

Through the Moonlight

97

VI.

The Two Stand Face to Face

102

VII.

A Coalition Between Beauty and Oddness

111

VIII.

Firmness Is Discovered in a Gentle Heart

118

Book 3

The Fascination

I.

"My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is"

127

II.

The New Course Causes Disappointment

131

III.

The First Act in a Timeworn Drama

137

IV.

An Hour of Bliss and Many Hours of Sadness

148

V.

Sharp Words Are Spoken, and a Crisis Ensues

154

VI.

Yeobright Goes, and the Breach Is Complete

159

VII.

The Morning and the Evening of a Day

165

VIII.

A New Force Disturbs the Current

175

Book 4

The Closed Door

I.

The Rencounter by the Pool

183

II.

He Is Set upon by Adversities; But He Sings a Song

188

III.

She Goes Out to Battle Against Depression

196

IV.

Rough Coercion Is Employed

205

V.

The Journey Across the Health

211

VI.

A Conjuncture, and Its Result upon the Pedestrian

214

VII.

The Tragic Meeting of Two Old Friends

222

VIII.

Eustacia Hears of Good Fortune and Beholds Evil

228

Book 5

The Discovery

I.

"Wherefore Is Light Given to Him That Is in Misery"

235

II.

A Lurid Light Breaks in Upon a Darkened Understanding

241

III.

Eustacia Dresses Herself on a Black Morning

248

IV.

The Ministrations of a Half-Forgotten One

254

V.

An Old Move Inadvertently Repeated

258

VI.

Thomasin Argues with Her Cousin, and He Writes a Letter

263

VII.

The Night of the Sixth of November

268

VIII.

Rain, Darkness, and Anxious Wanderers

274

IX.

Sights and Sounds Draw the Wanderers Together

282

Book 6

Aftercourses

I.

The Inevitable Movement Onward

291

II.

Thomasin Walks in a Green Place by the Roman Road

298

III.

The Serious Discourse of Clym with His Cousin

300

IV.

Cheerfulness Again Asserts Itself at Blooms-End, and Clym Finds His Vocation

304

Reading Group Guide

1. What does Egdon Heath symbolize to you? How does each character relate to the heath? To what extent does the landscape control the actions of the characters or influence them? How do the characters resist or succumb to the landscape? What is the role of urban life in the novel?

2. Discuss Clym's spiritual odyssey. How does it shed light on Hardy's concerns in the novel? Would you describe Clym as idealistic? How does his attitude compare to that of the people of Egdon Heath or that of Eustacia?

3. Why does Eustacia hate Egdon Heath? Is she too headstrong? How much control does Eustacia have over events that shape her life? Over the lives of others? Do you think Eustacia symbolizes human limitation or potential? Do you think her death is a reconciliation of sorts, or not?

4. Discuss the role of fate or chance in the novel. Is Hardy sympathetic to the victims of chance in this novel? To what extent are events caused by the force of a character's personality (e. g., Eustacia), rather than by chance? To what extent do actions produce results opposite from that desired? Do you think there is a connection between this use of irony and the role of fate in the novel?

5. Discuss the novel's opening scene, in which Hardy describes Egdon Heath. How does this establish the emotional tone of the book? How does it foreshadow the action within the novel?

6. Why is Eustacia interested in Clym? How does this set the wheels of the plot in motion? How does this affect the other characters, like Thomasin and particularly Clym's mother? What is Wildeve's role in Mrs. Yeobright's fate?

Editorial Reviews

A collection of Hardy's poetry and non-fiction prose, containing some200 of his familiar and less-familiar shorter poems organized bytheme, as well as Hardy's own prefaces to volumes of his poems, andhis essays on fiction, on the "Dorsetshire laborer," and on an 18th-century execution. Includes explanatory notes, and a brief overviewof Hardy's life and work. No index.Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

EBOOK COMMENTARY

A collection of Hardy's poetry and non-fiction prose, containing some 200 of his familiar and less-familiar shorter poems organized by theme, as well as Hardy's own prefaces to volumes of his poems, and his essays on fiction, on the "Dorsetshire laborer," and on an 18th- century execution. Includes explanatory notes, and a brief overview of Hardy's life and work. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

"This is the quality Hardy shares with the great writers...this setting behind the small action the terrific action of unfathomed nature."—D. H. Lawrence

From the Publisher

The Return of the Native is the most artistically perfect of [Hardy’] novels to date...his style has gained in power and clarity.”

1878 Graphic (London)

This is the quality Hardy shares with the great writers…This setting behind the small action the terrific action of unfathomed nature.”

D. H. Lawrence

Into the landscape he begins to weave human figures. They are very much alive; have faults and passions, virtues and vices, good luck and tragic mishaps…Hardy arrives at last at the end of his novel…having produced a most charming, original sketch of the lives of quiet people in one nook of England.”

New York Times

The Return of the Native is one of the most remarkable books of the last twenty years.”

1878 Vanity Fair

"Simon Avery has edited Hardy's The Return of the Native with great skill: his footnotes are detailed and extensive without becoming intrusive; his bibliography of further reading selects judiciously from old and new materials; and he gives a generous range of contemporary materials to help contextualise the book. Alongside the unmistakable nineteenth-century concerns present in Hardy's novel, Avery alerts us to less well-known ones, illuminating in particular Hardy's depiction of Eustacia Vye, who can be seen from this edition as a precursor to Sue Bridehead, the proto-feminist of Jude the Obscure. Distinctively too, Avery includes a selection of Hardy's poetry, helpfully breaking down the barrier between Hardy the novelist and Hardy the poet. In all respects, the volume continues the excellent standard of Broadview Hardy editions."

Ralph Pite

"Simon Avery's edition of The Return of the Native, Hardy's first great classic, provides a beautifully balanced, meticulously researched resource. Avery's editorial approach is, in every respect, new and fresh – even in his interpretation of the novel's denouement. Offering a wide range of critical perspectives, the compelling Introduction features a rich collection of viewpoints and critiques in a manner so informative, compact, and stylish that exploration becomes the modus operandi within and beyond the plot. In turn, the appendices at the end of the book complement the contextualising of the Introduction and footnotes. A selection of Hardy's other writings in prose and poetry adds textual weight and structural balance overall."

Rosemarie Morgan

A story of isolation, passion, and misplaced lovers, Hardy’s classic novel is moving and enigmatic. The almost druidic nature of the fictional Egdon Heath sets an ominous atmosphere that permeates the novel. Nicholas Rowe’s narration is both subtle and resonant. He has a soft, melodic way of speaking that resonates with Hardy’s vivid descriptive style. Rowe’s steady pace throughout the reading allows the listener to take in the complex images that Hardy creates through meticulous diction. Rowe also captures the characters expertly. The passionate Eustacia speaks hurriedly and emphatically while the removed Wildeve embodies disinterest and brevity in his speech. Through Rowe’s compelling performance, this production is a masterful portrayal of Hardy’s haunting novel. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

JULY 2014 - AudioFile