The Woodlanders (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Hardy, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140435476 ISBN 13: 9780140435474

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1998

Synopsis

When country-girl Grace Melbury returns home from her middle-class school she feels she has risen above her suitor, the simple woodsman Giles Winterborne. Though marriage had been discussed between her and Giles, Grace finds herself captivated by Dr Edred Fitzpiers, a sophisticated newcomer to the area - a relationship that is encouraged by her socially ambitious father. Hardy's novel of betrayal, disillusionment and moral compromise depicts a secluded community coming to terms with the disastrous impact of outside influences. And in his portrayal of Giles Winterborne, Hardy shows a man who responds deeply to the forces of the natural world, thought they ultimately betray him.

About this title

Review:

"The finest English novel."--Arnold Bennett

From the Back Cover:

Grace Melbury, the only daughter of a timber-merchant, arrives home in Little Hintock after an expensive education and her father looks to find a husband for her. There are two rivals for her hand: Giles Winterborne, a good-hearted yeoman and her childhood sweetheart, and Edred Fitzpiers, an ambitious young doctor of good family. Fitzpiers wins her, but the mismatch brings unhappiness not just to the young couple, but to a wider circle in the woodland community.

'The Woodlanders' is one of Hardy’s most powerful works and the one he liked best. With brooding sexual undertones, it addresses themes about which the author held strong views – the laws of divorce, the inequalities of society, and the uncertainty of land tenure.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0140435476
• ISBN 13: 9780140435474
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464
• Editor: Ingham Patricia