The Return of the Native - Hardcover

Hardy, Thomas

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798888976814

Publisher: Mint Editions, 2026

Synopsis

The Return of the Native (1878) returns readers to the fictional Edgon Heath, a quiet village on the English countryside, where a taboo tale of thwarted desire pits societal norms against humanity’s natural appetites.

Through a cast of tragic characters, Hardy constructs a web of deceit and heartbreak in the quiet village of Edgon Heath, its denizens shackled by their conflicting desires for romance and status. Eustacia Vye takes center stage, her agency and flawed ideals propelling the plot along towards its deadly conclusion. To undercut these notably modern themes and characters, the novel also retains an air of classical tragedy. The more each character struggles against their fate, the more they are ensnared by the tendrils of time, place, and action. Those who wish to leave the quiet village to live a lavish life find themselves trapped, while those who wish only to live by their good works find a tumultuous world that refuses to accept them. It is a cautionary tale, a clear warning that when ephemeral societal norms trump humanity’s fundamental drive towards passion and love, only grief will follow.

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About this title

About the Author

Thomas Hardy (1840-1938) was an English poet and novelist who initially trained and showed promise as an architect before finding success as a writer. His style and form followed in the Victorian realist tradition of George Eliot and the Romanticism of William Wordsworth. Hardy’s work displays a concern that the conventions of Victorian society were damaging to many and places an emphasis on empathy toward those it made suffer. His richly drawn characters engage in a timeless striving for happiness and a chance to rise above a world that offers implacable barriers to their hopes. Although he regarded himself primarily as a poet, he first gained notoriety as the author of novels like Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Ubervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). His poetry was acclaimed by some younger poets during his lifetime and lauded posthumously by greats like Ezra Pound and Philip Larkin. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath emulated the local evening in its air and intensity. Looking at the earth at this point, it appeared as if the time of day on this particular occasion had a separate origin from the time of day on the landscape outside. The gloomy and austere features of the scene had a dignity which was not to be found in more cheerful and hospitable views.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798888976814
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 434