Under the Greenwood Tree (Oxford World's Classics) [Paperback]

Thomas Hardy (Author), Simon Gatrell (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Oxford World's Classics | Publication Date: July 22, 1999

This edition presents a critically established text based on comparisons of every revised version. Hardy placed this tale among his Novels of Character and Environment, a group which is held to include his most characteristic work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Hardy, (1840-1928) was a novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement, who delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. The bulk of his work, set mainly in the semi-imaginary county of Wessex, is marked by poetic descriptions, and fatalism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192835173
• ISBN-13: 978-0192835178
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,858,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Hardy's best written books, September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Under the Greenwood Tree (2) (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite Hardy novels! His vivid descriptions bring the rustic setting, characters, and customs to life. It's like peering through a window into a world gone by. The story weaves together love, social position, and the slow displacement of old traditions with modern conventions. A delightful read!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardy in embryo, July 11, 2002

By 

Alan Breck (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Greenwood Tree (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

"Under the Greenwood Tree" does not rank among Hardy's greatest novels, but it includes many moving moments and memorable characters. This first of the great series of Wessex novels introduces the reader to Hardy's beloved and changing countryside. The landscape and it's occupants are lovingly invoked, and the natural humour of the locals shines through.

In fact, the supporting characters are far more interesting than the hero and heroine. "Under the Greenwood Tree" is really a tale of young love, and although Hardy touchingly illustrates the yearning and naivete of his lovers, both characters remain at arm's length. This is particularly true of Fancy, the heroine, whose emotions do not become apparent until close to the tale's end.

Hardy would explore many of "Greenwood Tree's" themes more effectivly in later books, but this novel is more than just a warm-up act. The decline of English country life- one of Hardy's greatest themes- has never been as tellingly illustrated as in the sub-plot of the Mellstock Quire, and the contented, ironic ending rings as true as any of the fatalistic horrors to come.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "A dance to the music of time", June 7, 2003

By 

Anonymous (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under the Greenwood Tree (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)

The painter Poussin's famous title might stand as a rubric for this lovely book. Hardy views his cast of rustics through the prism of music: the old church stringed instruments choir is to be replaced with the spanking new organ. There is the added romantic interest of young musician Dave and the controversially female organist, Fancy Day.

This is a story of established customs breaking down through the interloper: a new vicar in town. Structurally divided into Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, it follows the natural rhythms of the earth and of society. Hardy revels in his descriptive powers.

Filled with nostalgia and that increasingly fashionable concept, "Englishness", and seasoned with wisdom and wit, this is truly fabulous. It's a mini-masterpice in a similar bag to, say, Mrs. Gaskell's "Cranford".