Classic
The Return of the Native
by Thomas Hardy
Summary
On the brooding expanse of Egdon Heath, the restless beauty Eustacia Vye dreams of escape and fastens her hopes on Clym Yeobright, a native son returned from Paris, while the reddleman Diggory Venn quietly watches over the woman he loves. Hardy lets misunderstanding, pride, and sheer bad luck grind the characters toward catastrophe on the heath that dominates them all. The novel's fatalism and its almost living landscape mark Hardy's tragic vision at full strength.
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Historical Context & Significance
Hardy published the novel serially in 1878, and its dark tone unsettled some contemporary reviewers. Egdon Heath has since become one of the most famous settings in English fiction.