Book description
THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE was written towards the beginning of Hardy's
career as a novelist and can be considered one of his most
representative works. In this novel, Hardy's tragic vision is powerfully
and narrowly focussed on Egdon Heath and the men and women who live on
it. Set against the backdrop of the Heath and the impersonal and eternal
forces it represents, the fates of Eustacia Vye, Diggory Venn, Clym
Yeobright - the returning 'native' - and others are inexorably played
out.
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was a prolific novelist and poet whose works
include 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' and 'Jude the Obscure'.
Penny Bouhmelha is Professor of English at the University of
Adelaide and has published work on Hardy and women.
