Thomas Hardy: Collected Works

This unique and meticulously edited collection of Thomas Hardy's greatest works includes:_x000D_ Novels:_x000D_ Under the Greenwood Tree_x000D_ Far from the Madding Crowd_x000D_ The Return of the Native_x000D_ The Mayor of Casterbridge_x000D_ The Woodlanders_x000D_ Tess of the d'Urbervilles_x000D_ Jude the Obscure_x000D_ A Pair of Blue Eyes_x000D_ The Trumpet-Major_x000D_ Two on a Tower_x000D_ The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid_x000D_ The Well-Beloved_x000D_ Desperate Remedies_x000D_ The Hand of Ethelberta_x000D_ A Laodicean_x000D_ Short Stories:_x000D_ Wessex Tales_x000D_ An Imaginative Woman_x000D_ The Three Strangers_x000D_ The Withered Arm_x000D_ Fellow-Townsmen_x000D_ Interlopers at the Knap_x000D_ The Distracted Preacher_x000D_ Life's Little Ironies_x000D_ The Son's Veto_x000D_ For Conscience' Sake_x000D_ A Tragedy of Two Ambitions_x000D_ On the Western Circuit_x000D_ To Please His Wife_x000D_ The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion_x000D_ A Tradition of Eighteen Hundred and Four_x000D_ The Fiddler of the Reels_x000D_ A Few Crusted Characters_x000D_ Tony Kytes, the Arch-deceiver_x000D_ The History of the Hardcomes_x000D_ The Superstitious Man's Story_x000D_ Andrey Satchel and the Parson and Clerk_x000D_ Old Andrey's Experience as a Musician_x000D_ Absent-Mindedness in a Parish Choir_x000D_ The Winters and the Palmleys_x000D_ Incident in Mr. Crookhill's Life_x000D_ Netty Sargent's Copyhold_x000D_ A Group of Noble Dames_x000D_ The First Countess of Wessex_x000D_ Barbara of the House of Grebe_x000D_ The Marchioness of Stonehenge_x000D_ Lady Mottisfont_x000D_ The Lady Icenway_x000D_ Squire Petrick's Lady_x000D_ Anna, Lady Baxby_x000D_ The Lady Penelope_x000D_ The Duchess of Hamptonshire_x000D_ The Honourable Laura_x000D_ A Changed Man and Other Tales_x000D_ Other Stories_x000D_ Drama:_x000D_ The Dynasts_x000D_ Poetry Collections:_x000D_ Wessex Poems and Other Verses_x000D_ Poems of the Past and the Present_x000D_ Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verses_x000D_ Satires of Circumstance_x000D_ Moments of Vision_x000D_ Late Lyrics and Earlier_x000D_ Other Works:_x000D_ The Dorsetshire Labourer_x000D_ The Rev. William Barnes, B.D._x000D_ The Science of Fiction_x000D_ The Profitable Reading of Fiction_x000D_ Candour in English Fiction and more

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was an English novelist and poet, who is eminent for his contributions to the naturalist movement. His work often explores tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances, set amid the evocative landscape of Hardy's fictional Wessex, which is based on the rural area of South West England where he was born and spent much of his life. Hardy's rich descriptions and his sharp social critique stem from his early experiences and vocations; he trained as an architect before dedicating himself to writing full time. He wrote several notable novels including 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles', 'Far from the Madding Crowd', and 'The Mayor of Casterbridge', which have cemented his place in the canon of English literature. His novels are lauded for their profound psychological insight, their sensitive portrayal of women's struggles, and their deep sympathy for the lower classes. The 'Collected Works' of Thomas Hardy unite these seminal texts, reflecting a body of work characterized by its realism and the author's intricate depictions of the natural world. As a poet, Hardy's work ranged from lyrical to epic, but it always displayed his mastery over language and his ability to excavate emotional truths. Contemporary scholars continue to study Hardy's literature not only for its artistic merit but also for its social commentary and exploration of existential themes.