Thomas Hardy
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In Thomas Hardy's first major literary success, independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy, and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening...
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Jude Fawley, a poor stone carver with aspirations toward an academic career, is thwarted at every turn and is finally forced to give up his dreams of a university education. He is tricked into an unwise marriage, and when his wife deserts him, he begins a relationship with a free-spirited cousin. With this begins the descent into bleak tragedy as the couple alternately defy and succumb to the pressures of a deeply disapproving society.
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A poor workman named Michael Henchard, in a fit of drunken rage, sells his wife and baby daughter to a stranger at a country fair. Stricken with remorse, Henchard forswears alcohol and works hard to become a prosperous businessman and the respected mayor of Casterbridge. But he cannot erase his past.
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The Selected Works of Thomas Hardy includes many of the esteemed author's best-known works: Far From the Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure.
Influenced by the Romantics, Hardy's novels are deeply critical of the constraints of Victorian society, particularly those placed on women and the poor.
HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding
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Under the Greenwood Tree is an affectionate and youthful portrait of a world Hardy knew well - village life in 'Wessex' - in which a romantic tale is set against changing circumstances. The traditional feature of local music-making performed by the village band and choir is challenged by the modern innovation of organ and organist providing music in the church. Fancy Day, the new, comely school mistress is also an accomplished organist, and these...
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This story began around Christmas, when a group of guys from the village of Melstock walked and sang carols. It was then that the cab driver Dick Dewey saw and fell in love at first sight with the new teacher Fancy Day who had just arrived. She is also looked after by a wealthy farmer Shiner, whom Father Day favors, and pastor Maybold, who considers himself the most suitable party for Fancy. But the story did not begin in vain on the fabulous days...
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Jocelyn Pierston, a successful sculptor, is helpless in the face of 'the well-beloved': the manifestation of perfect womanhood that seems to move like a will-o'-the-wisp from one acquaintance to the next. It shapes his whole life. Where his artistry involves permanence — cold stone objects — his heart is caught by ephemeral beauty. After years spent in London, a return to his rocky birthplace, the Isle of Slingers, sparks Pierston's extraordinary...
10) Winter Words
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This selection of Hardy's poetry does full justice to its humanity, integrity, humor and evocative power, ranging from charming anthology pieces such as 'Weathers' to the great love poems he wrote after the death of his first wife and the meditations on war and philosophy. The poems, nearly 80 in total, are set in the context of his life and thought, including personal writings by him and those closest to him.
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When Tess Durbeyfield 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.
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A heartbroken Retty does not attend the wedding. As a small but joyful ceremony takes place, she tries to drown herself. Tess and Angel leave for their honeymoon, to be spent at an old mansion once owned by the ancient d'Urberville family. What they hoped would be a romantic evening is interrupted and darkened by news of Retty's attempted suicide. A suddenly troubled Angel decides it is time for them to make known their former transgressions to each...
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The baby is mortally ill. Because Tess's father refuses to let him be baptized in a church, she is forced to perform the ceremony herself, calling him "Sorrow." The baby dies. Tess pleads with Parson Tringham to allow the baby to be buried in the churchyard, but the parson says he cannot permit this, so Tess digs a small grave for Sorrow in a field next to the church, on unconsecrated ground. Tess leaves home and finds work at a dairy farm, a happy...
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John Durbeyfield, a "haggler" and a drunk, is weaving his way one afternoon towards the pub when he meets the village priest, Parson Tringham. The priest informs him that his family has distinguished ancestry. They are descended from the d'Urbervilles, a wealthy, though now extinct, clan. John Durbeyfield's daughter, the beautiful Tess is dancing along with the other village girls at the May Day parade. There she spies a handsome young stranger joining...