{"title":"Thomas Hardy","description":"Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), whose writing immortalized the semi-fictional Wessex countryside and dramatized his sense of the inevitable tragedy of life, wrote fifteen novels, including The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). He is also renowned as one of the greatest poets of his era.","products":[{"product_id":"the-mayor-of-casterbridge-paperback","title":"The Mayor of Casterbridge - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eSet against the backdrop of peaceful south-west England, where Thomas Hardy spent much of his youth, \u003cem\u003eThe Mayor of Casterbridge\u003c\/em\u003e captures the author's unique genius for depicting the absurdity underlying much of the sorrow and humor in our lives.\u003cbr\u003eMichael Henchard is an out-of-work hay-trusser who gets drunk at a local fair and impulsively sells his wife Susan and baby daughter. Eighteen years later Susan and her daughter seek him out, only to discover that he has become the most prominent man in Casterbridge. Henchard attempts to make amends for his youthful misdeeds but his unchanged impulsiveness clouds his relationships in love as well as his fortunes in business. Although Henchard is fated to be a modern-day tragic hero, unable to survive in the new commercial world, his story is also a journey towards love.\u003cbr\u003eThis edition is the only critically established text of the novel, based on a comprehensive study of the manuscript and Hardy's extensive revisions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout the Series: \u003c\/strong\u003e For over 100 years \u003cstrong\u003eOxford World's Classics\u003c\/strong\u003e has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101124006111,"sku":"9780199537037","price":8.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/4M1nzOQnnp9780199537037.webp?v=1781068304"},{"product_id":"far-from-the-madding-crowd-paperback","title":"Far from the Madding Crowd - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The first of Hardy's great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his best fiction is remembered' Margaret Drabble\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThomas Hardy's novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with evocative descriptions of rural life, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships. Its heroine, Bathsheba Everdene, takes up her position as a farmer on a large estate, where her confident presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and when tragedy ensues, the stability of the whole community is threatened. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEdited with an Introduction and notes by ROSEMARIE MORGAN with SHANNON RUSSELL","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101128167647,"sku":"9780141439655","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/h3wYVo08Li9780141439655.webp?v=1781068312"},{"product_id":"the-return-of-the-native-paperback","title":"The Return of the Native - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of Thomas Hardy's most powerful works, The Return of the Native centers famously on Egdon Heath, the wild, haunted Wessex moor that D. H. Lawrence called \"the real stuff of tragedy.\" The heath's changing face mirrors the fortunes of the farmers, inn-keepers, sons, mothers, and lovers who populate the novel. The \"native\" is Clym Yeobright, who comes home from a cosmopolitan life in Paris. He; his cousin Thomasin; her fianc , Damon Wildeve; and the willful Eustacia Vye are the protagonists in a tale of doomed love, passion, alienation, and melancholy as Hardy brilliantly explores that theme so familiar throughout his fiction: the diabolical role of chance in determining the course of a life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs Alexander Theroux asserts in his Introduction, Hardy was \"committed to the deep expression of  nature's] ironic chaos and strange apathy, even hostility, toward man.\"\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of Thomas Hardy's most powerful works, The Return of the Native centers famously on Egdon Heath, the wild, haunted Wessex moor that D. H. Lawrence called \"the real stuff of tragedy.\" The heath's changing face mirrors the fortunes of the farmers, inn-keepers, sons, mothers, and lovers who populate the novel. The \"native\" is Clym Yeobright, who comes home from a cosmopolitan life in Paris. He; his cousin Thomasin; her fiance, Damon Wildeve; and the willful Eustacia Vye are the protagonists in a tale of doomed love, passion, alienation, and melancholy as Hardy brilliantly explores that theme so familiar throughout his fiction: the diabolical role of chance in determining the course of a life. \u003cbr\u003eAs Alexander Theroux asserts in his Introduction, Hardy was \"committed to the deep expression of [nature's] ironic chaos and strange apathy, even hostility, toward man.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101532983519,"sku":"9780375757181","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/nfsGgW1YPi9780375757181.webp?v=1781071673"},{"product_id":"jude-the-obscure-paperback","title":"Jude the Obscure - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eUpon its first appearance in 1895, Thomas Hardy's \u003cb\u003eJude the Obscure\u003c\/b\u003e shocked Victorian critics and readers with a frank depiction of sexuality and an unbridled indictment of the institutions of marriage, education, and religion, reportedly causing one Angli-can bishop to order the book publicly burned. The experience so exhausted Hardy that he never wrote a work of fiction again. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRich in symbolism, \u003cb\u003eJude the Obscure\u003c\/b\u003e is the story of Jude Fawley and his struggle to rise from his station as a poor Wessex stonemason to that of a scholar at Christminster. It is also the story of Jude's ill-fated relationship with his cousin Sue Bridehead, and the ultimate tragedy that causes Jude's undoing and Sue's transformation. Jude the Obscure explores man's essential loneliness and remains one of Hardy's most widely read novels.\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon its first appearance in 1895, Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure shocked Victorian critics and readers with a frank depiction of sexuality and an unbridled indictment of the institutions of marriage, education, and religion, reportedly causing one Angli-can bishop to order the book publicly burned. The experience so exhausted Hardy that he never wrote a work of fiction again. \u003cbr\u003eRich in symbolism, Jude the Obscure is the story of Jude Fawley and his struggle to rise from his station as a poor Wessex stonemason to that of a scholar at Christminster. It is also the story of Jude's ill-fated relationship with his cousin Sue Bridehead, and the ultimate tragedy that causes Jude's undoing and Sue's transformation. Jude the Obscure explores man's essential loneliness and remains one of Hardy's most widely read novels.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101547892959,"sku":"9780375757419","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/zRjwlLMbyL9780375757419.webp?v=1781071701"},{"product_id":"far-from-the-madding-crowd-paperback-1","title":"Far from the Madding Crowd - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFar from the Madding Crowd\u003c\/b\u003e, Hardy's passionate tale of the beautiful, headstrong farmer Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors, firmly established the thirty-four-year-old writer as a popular novelist. According to Virginia Woolf, \"The subject was right; the method was right; the poet and the countryman, the sensual man, the sombre reflective man, the man of learning, all enlisted to produce a book which . . . must hold its place among the great English novels.\" Introducing the fictional name of \"Wessex\" to describe Hardy's legendary countryside, this early masterpiece draws a vivid picture of rural life in southwest England. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the 1912 Wessex edition and features Hardy's map of Wessex.\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFar from the Madding Crowd, Hardy's passionate tale of the beautiful, headstrong farmer Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors, firmly established the thirty-four-year-old writer as a popular novelist. According to Virginia Woolf, \"The subject was right; the method was right; the poet and the countryman, the sensual man, the sombre reflective man, the man of learning, all enlisted to produce a book which . . . must hold its place among the great English novels.\" Introducing the fictional name of \"Wessex\" to describe Hardy's legendary countryside, this early masterpiece draws a vivid picture of rural life in southwest England. \u003cbr\u003eThis Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the 1912 Wessex edition and features Hardy's map of Wessex.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101548417247,"sku":"9780375757976","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/kMQ633c5RE9780375757976.webp?v=1781071701"},{"product_id":"jude-the-obscure-hardcover","title":"Jude the Obscure - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I'm an outsider to the end of my days!\" \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJude Fawley's hopes of a university education are lost when he is trapped into marrying the earthy Arabella, who later abandons him. Moving to the town of Christminster where he finds work as a stonemason, Jude meets and falls in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead, a sensitive, freethinking \"New Woman.\" Refusing to marry merely for the sake of religious convention, Jude and Sue decide instead to live together, but they are shunned by society and poverty soon threatens to ruin them.\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eJude the Obscure\u003c\/i\u003e, Hardy's last novel, caused a public furor when it was first published, with its fearless and challenging exploration of class and sexual relationships. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis edition uses the unbowdlerized text of the first volume edition of 1895, and also includes a list for further reading, appendices and a glossary. In his introduction, Dennis Taylor examines biblical allusions and the critique of religion in \u003ci\u003eJude the Obscure\u003c\/i\u003e, and its critical reception that led Hardy to abandon novel writing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101558640863,"sku":"9780241382691","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/HSoB1tSMSB9780241382691.webp?v=1781071723"},{"product_id":"tess-of-the-durbervilles-paperback","title":"Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA classic novel that explores how the moral standards of Victorian England affected a young woman seeking her place in society. This beautiful flexibound edition also features bright foil on the cover.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThomas Hardy's classic novel \u003ci\u003eTess of the D'Urbervilles\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterpiece of late 19th-century literature, presenting the story of Tess, a poor girl from rural England who faces the challenges of modern society while carrying a moral burden that threatens her reputation. As she navigates the difficult path to adulthood, Tess encounters numerous setbacks, each moving her further away from who she was as a young girl. With themes such as humanity's loss of its connection to the natural world and how Victorian morals oppress personal growth, Hardy's novel is an essential read for all lovers of classic literature.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101618999519,"sku":"9781645178453","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/ZUNXTWc5M0xJV2N2UzhhOC94Vlhrdz09.webp?v=1781071837"},{"product_id":"far-from-the-madding-crowd-hardcover","title":"Far from the Madding Crowd - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Clothbound Classics edition of Thomas Hardy's impassioned novel of courtship in rural life\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In Thomas Hardy's first major literary success, independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy, and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. One of his first works set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex, Hardy's novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis edition, based on Hardy's original 1874 manuscript, is the complete novel he never saw published, and restores its full candor and innovation. Rosemarie Morgan's introduction discusses the history of its publication, as well as the biblical and classical allusions that permeate the novel.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101636006111,"sku":"9780241240274","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/RG8eAOwAG59780241240274.webp?v=1781071869"},{"product_id":"tess-of-the-durbervilles-hardcover","title":"Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e Chiltern creates the most beautiful editions of the World's finest literature.\u003c\/b\u003e Your favorite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before: the tactile layers, fine details and beautiful colors of these remarkable covers make these books feel extra special and look striking on any shelf. This hardcover book has a matching blank lined journal (sold separately). They make a great gift when paired together but are also just as beautiful on their own.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e Tess of the d'Urbervilles \u003c\/b\u003e is a novel about a poor young woman named Tess Durbeyfield whose father sends her to work for the rich Stoke-d'Urberville family, to whom he mistakenly believes they are related. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Alec Stoke-d'Urberville rapes Tess. She returns home, where she gives birth to a child who soon dies. Tess becomes a milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy, where she falls in love with Angel Clare, a young intellectual she met years before. On their wedding night, Angel learns about Tess's past and abandons her. Angel leaves for Brazil, then returns to find that Tess has killed Alec. Tess is arrested and hanged. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101660156127,"sku":"9781912714711","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Q2dmOXoyMVBCSWMzdGxnT1JZNjlXQT09.webp?v=1781071924"},{"product_id":"the-hand-of-ethelberta-hardcover","title":"The Hand of Ethelberta - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Hand of Ethelberta is a novel written by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1876. The story follows the life of Ethelberta Petherwin, a beautiful and talented young woman who rises from humble beginnings to become a successful poet and novelist. Ethelberta is also a skilled singer and musician, and she uses her talents to charm and manipulate the men around her.The novel is set in Victorian England and explores themes of social class, gender roles, and the struggle for self-fulfillment. Ethelberta is torn between her desire for success and her longing for love and companionship. She must navigate the complex social codes of her time, balancing her aspirations with the expectations of her family and society.As Ethelberta rises in social status, she attracts the attention of several suitors, including a wealthy widower, a young aristocrat, and a struggling artist. She must choose between these men and her own ambitions, while also dealing with the jealousies and rivalries that arise among her admirers.The Hand of Ethelberta is a complex and nuanced novel that explores the challenges and opportunities faced by women in Victorian society. It is also a compelling love story that showcases Hardy's skill as a writer and his ability to capture the complexities of human relationships.Perhaps not. And when a man checks all a woman's finer sentiments towards him by marrying her, it is only natural that it should find a vent somewhere. However, she probably does not know of my downfall since father's death. I hardly think she would have cared to do it had she known that.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50101665562847,"sku":"9781161465433","price":73.37,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/g9juVxuXtF9781161465433.webp?v=1781071945"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/thomas-hardy.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}