Under the Greenwood Tree - Softcover

Hardy, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853262277 ISBN 13: 9781853262272

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions, 1994

Synopsis

With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Claire Seymour, University of Kent at Canterbury.

Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy's most bright, confident and optimistic novel. This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle humour and quiet irony, established Hardy as a writer.

However, the novel is not merely a charming rural idyll. The double-plot, in which the love story of Dick Dewey and Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir, hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived and highly-valued traditional way of life.

About this title

Review:

This early Hardy novel tells the story of a pastoral romance in the small Wessex village of Mellstock. Jamie Parker's friendly, resonant tone adds warmth to a surprisingly cheerful work by an author known for his dour stories. Parker's use of vocal variation in delivering Hardy's descriptive prose guides listeners smoothly through the plot. He also demonstrates mastery in his renderings of local country dialects. The conversations between the choir members, who include an interesting range of ages and characterisations, are especially well performed, and his singing of various songs also enlivens the text. Overall, Parker's charming performance adds much personality to this Hardy classic. --- D.M.W., AudioFile

About the Author:

Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 - 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, especially William Wordsworth. Charles Dickens was another important influence. Like Dickens, he was highly critical of much in Victorian society, though Hardy focused more on a declining rural society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 1853262277
• ISBN 13: 9781853262272
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192