Book Description The Wordsworth Classics covers a huge list of beloved works of literature in English and translations. This growing series is rigorously updated, with scholarly introductions and notes added to new titles. The central figure of this novel is the returning "native", Clym Yeobright, and his love for the beautiful but capricious Eustacia Vye. As character after character is driven to self-destruction, the presence of Egdon Heath becomes all-embracing, while Clym becomes a preacher. From AudioFile Clym Yeobright, native of Egdon Heath, returns from the bright society of Paris and, as any reader of Hardy knows, all is not smooth. He is quickly taken by and marries the one woman he should not--Eustacia Vye. The suffering that follows is mitigated somewhat by the ending, but more by the mastery of Alan Rickman's reading. At the start, Rickman senses the voice for each character in Hardy's fictional world, and he maintains each character's personality throughout. He even manages to project Hardy's subtle shadings of tone with the rhythm and tempo of his narration, throwing in a song here and there because, in spite of his gloom, there is a festive strain to Hardy, as well. If you have a hard time reading this classic English writer, this is how to do it. P.E.F. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature Novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1878. The novel is set on Egdon Heath, a barren moor in the fictional Wessex in southwestern England. The native of the title is Clym Yeobright, who has returned to the area to become a schoolmaster after a successful but, in his opinion, shallow career as a jeweler in Paris. He and his cousin Thomasin exemplify the traditional way of life, while Thomasin's husband, Damon Wildeve, and Clym's wife, Eustacia Vye, long for the excitement of city life. Disappointed that Clym is content to remain on the heath, Eustacia, willful and passionate, rekindles her affair with the reckless Damon. After a series of coincidences Eustacia comes to believe that she is responsible for the death of Clym's mother. Convinced that fate has doomed her to cause others pain, Eustacia flees and is drowned (by accident or intent). Damon drowns trying to save her. In a later edition, to please his readers, Hardy made additions to his novel. Thomasin marries Diggory Venn, a humble, long-time suitor, and Clym becomes an itinerant preacher. About Author Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), the author of Under the Greenwood Tree, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Woodlanders, and many other novels, was also an accomplished poet. Many of his works, including his poetry, are available from Penguin Classics. Tony Slade was for many years Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Adelaide, Australia.Penny Boumelha is Jury Chair of English Language and Literature at the University of Adelaide. Book Dimension : length: (cm)19.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.6 注：3种封面随机发货。

Book Description Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to apply the name of Wessex to the landscape of south west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. When the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene inherits her own farm, she attracts three very different suitors: the seemingly commonplace, man-of-the-soil Gabriel Oak, the dashing young soldier, Francis Troy, and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. Her choice, and the tragedy it provokes, lie at the centre of Hardy's ambivalent story. This edition presents a new text of the novel restoring several manuscript passages never before published with the novel, and many of the 1901 revisions missing from nearly all modern versions. This work tells the story of young farmer, Gabriel Oak, and his pursuit of the elusive Bathsheba Everdene, whose wayward nature lends her to both tragedy and true love. The background of this tale is the Wessex countryside in all its moods. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature Novel by Thomas Hardy, published serially and anonymously in 1874 in The Cornhill Magazine and published in book form under Hardy's name the same year. It was his first popular success. The plot centers on Bathsheba Everdene, a farm owner, and her three suitors, Gabriel Oak (a generous shepherd), Sergeant Troy (a young, handsome, and inconsiderate soldier), and William Boldwood (the owner of the neighboring farm). The contrasting relationships between Bathsheba and her suitors are a study of the many faces of love, including honest, heartfelt love and unscrupulous and manipulative adoration. From Library Journal Random's Modern Library is reproducing this Hardy standard as a tie-in to a Masterpiece Theater presentation and offering a quality hardcover for a reasonable price. From AudioFile Those who relished the recent PBS series will be happy to know that this audio version is read by Gabriel Oak himself--Nathaniel Parker. He and Thomas Hardy make a fine team. As the rustic workers bring in the harvest, or shear the sheep, or barter at the market--their lively dialogue projects pictures of nineteenth-century Wessex that are almost as vivid as the paintings of John Constable. Nathaniel Parker seems to be one of them--or all of them--as he slips naturally from one character to another, even capturing the voice of Bathsheba as she laments her disastrous marriage. It all comes together in the end as she and Gabriel prepare to live happily ever after, the only Hardy characters so blessed! J.C. About Author Thomas Hardy (1840--1928), the author of Jude the Obscure, The Return of the Native, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles, was also an accomplished poet. Seventeen volumes of his work are available from Penguin Classics. Rosemarie Morgan teaches at Yale University and is the president of the Thomas Hardy Association. Shannon Russell holds a fellowship at Oxford University and is head of research for the Yale edition of Tennessee Williams's Journals. Book Dimension : length: (cm)19.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.6

在线阅读本书 Book Description The Wordsworth Classics covers a huge list of beloved works of literature in English and translations. This growing series is rigorously updated, with scholarly introductions and notes added to new titles. Jude Fawley is a rural stone mason with intellectual aspirations. Frustrated by poverty and the indifference of the academic institutions at the University of Christminster, his only chance of fulfilment seems to lie in his relationship with his unconventional cousin, Sue Bridehead. From Library Journal Jude the Obscure created storms of scandal and protest for the author upon its publication. Hardy, disgusted and disappointed, devoted the remainder of his life to poetry and never wrote another novel. Today, the material is far less shocking. 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. Hardy's characters have a fascinating ambiguity: they are victimized by a stern moral code, but they are also selfish and weak-willed creatures who bring on much of their own difficulties through their own vacillations and submissions to impulse. The abridgment speeds Jude's fall to considerable dramatic effect, but it also deletes the author's agonizing logic. Instead of the meticulous weaving of Jude's destiny, we get a somewhat incoherent summary that preserves the major plot points but fails to draw us into the tragedy. Michael Pennington reads resonantly and skillfully, his voice perfectly matching the grim music of Hardy's prose, but this recording can only be recommended for larger public libraries. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　-John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, CA From AudioFile Author Thomas Hardy espoused Shakespeare's dictum (from King Lear): "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport." He particularly exhibits this pessimism in Jude the Obscure, his tragedy about Jude Fawley, a stonemason torn by ambitions both intellectual and carnal, and Sue Whitehead, an early feminist whom Jude loves and who sometimes loves Jude. A compelling novel is made more so in this audio version by the outstanding work of Frederick Davidson. Always dependable, Davidson here excels in his use of measured dramatics; his consistent differentiation of a large cast of characters from varying social, educational and, therefore, dialectal groups; and his obvious personal involvement in the miseries of the two main characters. T.H. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature Novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1894-95 in Harper's New Monthly as Hearts Insurgent; published in book form in 1895. Hardy's last work of fiction, Jude the Obscure is also one of his most gloomily fatalistic, depicting the lives of individuals who are trapped by forces beyond their control. Jude Fawley, a poor villager, wants to enter the divinity school at Christminster (Oxford University). Sidetracked by Arabella Donn, an earthy country girl who pretends to be pregnant by him, Jude marries her and is then deserted. He earns a living as a stonemason at Christminster; there he falls in love with his independent-minded cousin, Sue Bridehead. Out of a sense of obligation, Sue marries the schoolmaster Phillotson, who has helped her. Unable to bear living with Phillotson, she returns to live with Jude and eventually bears his children out of wedlock. Their poverty and the weight of society's disapproval begin to take a toll on Sue and Jude; the climax occurs when Jude's son by Arabella hangs Sue and Jude's children and himself. In penance, Sue returns to Phillotson and the church. Jude returns to Arabella and eventually dies miserably. The novel's sexual frankness shocked the public, as did Hardy's criticisms of marriage, the university system, and the church. Hardy was so distressed by its reception that he wrote no more fiction, concentrating solely on his poetry. About Author Rosellen Brown is the author of Half a Heart, The Autobiography of My Mother, Tender Mercies and Before and After. She lives in Chicago. Book Dimension : length: (cm)19.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.6

Hardy's novel tells the story of how John and Joan Durbeyfield became convinced that they are descended from the ancient family of d'Ubervilles. They encourage their daughter Tess to cement a connection with the Stoke-d'Uberville family of local gentry (who it turns out are themselves not entitled to the illustrious name) and she is raped by their son, the unprincipled Alec. It is a connection that returns to haunt her after she has married the pure parson's son Angel Clare. Tess first appeared in a serialized—and bowdlerized—form in The Graphic in 1891. A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented , as Hardy subtitled the work, represented a direct challenge to conventional notions of sexuality and femininity—and, though conventions have radically changed in the past century, the character of Tess has remained a challenging one. In her introduction Maier argues that we should not see Tess merely as a passive victim; she suggests that a combination of sexual vigour and moral rigour makes Tess not just one of the greatest but also one of the strongest women in the canon of English literature. This edition also includes contemproary reviews; the 'bowdlerized' as well as the author's original versions of passages censored by the early years of the novel's life; excerpts from Hardy's autobiography; and a wealth of other documents that shed light on the context from which this text emerged -- highlighting in particular gender-related issues that lie at the heart of the text.

在线阅读本书 《Tess of the d Urbervilles(苔丝)》讲述了：Set in Hardy’s Wessex，Tess of the d’Urbervilles is a moving novel of hypocrisy and double standards。 Its challenging sub-title，A Pure Woman，infuriated critics when the book was first published in 1891，and it was condemned as immoral and pessimistic。 It tells of Tess Durbeyfield，the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager，who learns that she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urberville。 In her search for respectability her fortunes fluctuate wildly，and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy。 It explores Tess’s relationships with two very different men，her struggles against the social mores of the rural Victorian world which she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age。 In addressing the double standards of the time，Hardy’s masterly evocation of a world which we have lost，provides one of the most compelling stories in the canon of English literature，whose appeal today defies the judgement of Hardy’s contemporary critics。