63 pages • 2 hours read
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Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native chronicles the lives of the inhabitants of Egdon Heath, centering on Eustacia Vye, who yearns for a more glamorous life, and her interactions with Clym Yeobright and Damon Wildeve, leading to turmoil and tragedy. Themes include class, fate, and social change, as characters navigate complex relationships and their desires for love and escape. This novel includes instances of mental health struggles, death, and drowning.
Reviews of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native often highlight the novel's richly drawn characters and evocative portrayal of Egdon Heath as strengths. Critics appreciate Hardy's exploration of human desires and social constraints. However, some find the plot slow-paced and dense. Overall, it remains a significant, though sometimes challenging, work in Hardy’s oeuvre.
A reader who enjoys richly detailed rural settings, complex characters, and themes of fate and human yearning, akin to those found in Wuthering Heights or Tess of the d'Urbervilles, will appreciate Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native. This novel is ideal for fans of classic literature that explores the human condition against the backdrop of nature.
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Lexile Level
1040LClassic Fiction
British Literature
Historical Fiction
Victorian Period
Victorian Literature / Period
Society: Class
Relationships: Marriage
Emotions/Behavior: Love
History: World