Finally Reading 'The Woodlanders' by Thomas Hardy

Many years ago, between the age of 16-20 (1982-1986), I read quite a few of Thomas Hardy's novels, including his main tragedies ('Jude the Obscure'; 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'; 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'; and my favourite, 'The Return of the Native'), and some of what I guess we might call his 'semi-tragedies':  'Far from the Madding Crowd'; 'Two on a Tower'; 'A Pair of Blue Eyes'; 'The Trumpet Major' etc.  Besides this, I read 'Under the Greenwood' about 10 years ago, not long after moving to Warsaw. 

So what do I like about Thomas Hardy?  Well, it's the way he transports Shakespearean-type tragedy into the novel format; how he presents the magic and tragedy of everyday people's lives; and the rustic environments of Wessex (Dorset) that he paints.

Thus, last month, it was great to finally get round to reading 'The Woodlanders' while on a long weekend away in eastern Poland and then on holiday in Portugal and Spain.

So what did I mainly get out of this Hardy novel?  Well, first, the village of Little Hintock reminded me somewhat of Egdon Heath from 'The Return of the Native' in that it added an extra powerful 'character' to the novel.  Moreover, Giles Winterbourne and Marty South are like extreme models of stoic virtue and self-sacrifice who harmoniously fit into the vibrant rustic environment.  Of course, these two selfless characters also suffer the tragedy of unrequited love: Giles for Grace Melbury, and Marty for Giles.  If only they'd got together  . . .

In contrast, Grace Melbury seems inwardly torn between her recent urban education and the rustic environment where she was brought up (Little Hintock).  For this reason, she ends up falling for the charms of Fitzpiers, a newly arrived doctor of esoteric taste who marries Grace but predictably ends up cheating on her with the enigmatic (ex-actress) Lady of the Manor, Mrs. Charmond.  Both Fitzpiers and Mrs. Charmond, as 'outsiders' from the wider town/city world, simply do not fit in with the native charms of Little Hintock.

And there you have it: with his central themes of self-sacrifice; unrequited love; rustic harmony versus urban decadence; strict Victorian social conventions impeding people's pursuit of true happiness etc., Hardy makes me feel the magic and tragedy of life, as most of us never get to know full happiness due to all kinds of malevolent circumstances and situations (fatalism).

Can't wait to read some more of Hardy's fiction, hopefully in the not too distant future.