With a new Introduction by Cedric Watts, Research Professor of English, University of Sussex. A Pair of Blue Eyes, though early in the sequence of Hardy s novels, is lively and gripping. Its dramatic cliff-hanging episode, for example, is at once tense, ironic, feministic and erotic. With settings in Wessex and London, the novel also has some strongly autobiographical features, as the blue-eyed heroine, Elfride Swancourt, is based largely on Emma Gifford, who became Thomas Hardy s first wife. Elfride s vivacious nature attracts several lovers, but she is beset by sexual prejudice, and the ensuing ironies reveal the constraints of her times. A Pair of Blue Eyes provides an engaging and moving experience for today s readers.
A Pair of Blue Eyes (Oxford World's Classics)
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Editorial Reviews
Review
`What a joy it is to find World's Classics according to `new edition' status to that gentle romantic tale, A Pair of Blue Eyes, our enjoyment of which is enhanced by the editing and fine general and textual introductions by Alan Manford, whose knowledge and enthusiasm conspire to urge a revaluation of a novel which deserves a much wider readership.' Thomas Hardy Annual. No 5
`A Pair Of Blue Eyes has a vivacity that makes the Great Works appear the lumbering heavy-weights they are.' Andrew Cowan, The Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
`A Pair Of Blue Eyes has a vivacity that makes the Great Works appear the lumbering heavy-weights they are.' Andrew Cowan, The Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Alan Manford is Head of English at Holy Trinity School, Birmingham, U,K.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Hardy Melodrama,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Pair of Blue Eyes (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
I had forgotten Hardy's unique way of making my jaw drop in the last few pages of his novels. If it's been a while since you've treated yourself to his unrelenting destruction of any hope you may be harboring for his characters, indulge. The man never disappoints a cynic.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A pleasant read for Hardy fans (and some who aren't),
By A Customer
This review is from: A Pair of Blue Eyes (World's Classics) (Paperback)
Blue Eyes describes the love triangle between a young woman and her two suitors. One is the socially inferior, but upwardly striving young man who adores her and connects her with her country past, while the other is the respectable, established, older man who represents London society. The heroine is caught between multiple expectations (those of the men, her parents, and society)and the desires of her own heart, which she does not always seem to know. The story is told lightly, however, never burying the reader with a gloomy shroud (until the very end). This is a good read for someone who enjoys Hardy and wants to sample his early works.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly compelling,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Pair of Blue Eyes (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
This book was recommended by Amazon.com and I threw it in my shopping cart for fun. I found it surprisingly compelling. I do not remember ever reading Hardy before. His writing is wonderful and not at all old-fashioned, in fact, it is a modern book in sensibility. If you like books that care about characters and place, read it!
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
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Lord Luxellian, Miss Swancourt, Stephen Smith, John Smith, Castle Boterel, Miss Elfride, William Worm, Lady Luxellian, Martin Cannister, East Endelstow, Endelstow House, Henry Knight, Elfride Swancourt, West Endelstow, Parson Swancourt, Bede's Inn, Hedger Luxellian, Pa'son Swancourt, Robert Lickpan, Charles the Third, Endelstow Park, King Charles the Second, Miss Elfie, Targan Bay, The Court of Kellyon Castle New!
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Lord Luxellian, Miss Swancourt, Stephen Smith, John Smith, Castle Boterel, Miss Elfride, William Worm, Lady Luxellian, Martin Cannister, East Endelstow, Endelstow House, Henry Knight, Elfride Swancourt, West Endelstow, Parson Swancourt, Bede's Inn, Hedger Luxellian, Pa'son Swancourt, Robert Lickpan, Charles the Third, Endelstow Park, King Charles the Second, Miss Elfie, Targan Bay, The Court of Kellyon Castle New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
100
books
cite this book:
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- Hardy and His Readers by T. R. Wright on 10 pages
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Hardy on 4 pages
- Thomas Hardy on Screen by T. R. Wright on page 21, page 35, and page 121
- Selected Poetry (Oxford World's Classics) by Gerard Manley Hopkins in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Ishmael: A Novel. Volume 3 by Mary Elizabeth Braddon in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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