Starting Thomas Hardy's 'Wessex Tales'

Have just started reading Thomas Hardy's 'Wessex Tales'.

The Wordsworth Classic version that I've got contains a wonderful Introduction by Michael Irwin (University of Kent).  Here, Irwin reflects on Hardy's fatalistic worldview, discussing how he often introduces his characters as specks, before zooming in on them to show how their incredible inner lives are full of heartfelt feelings and aspirations that sadly often lie out of reach.

So far, I've only fully read 'The Withered Arm' from 'Wessex Tales', which is a real macabre tale revolving around four characters: Rhoda Brook and her son, and her son's father, Farmer Lodge and his new wife, Gertrude Lodge.  In less than 30 pages, this tale has more cruel twists of fate than is hardly imagineable, but gives wonderful insights into early/mid-19th century folklore and superstition, especially an old belief in getting ailments cured through touching the neck of a person who has just been hung to death.

Currently halfway through 'The Three Strangers', another mysterious tale revolving around the theme of hanging.

So far, I'm finding it a new experience to read Hardy's accounts of the cruelty and tragedy of human fate in such short stories, being far more used to seeing it unravel over 400 pages or so in such novels as 'Jude the Obscure'; 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles'; 'The Return of the Native'; and 'The Mayor of Casterbridge'.