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Cover of The Return of the Native

Classic Fiction

The Return of the Native

by Thomas Hardy

Illustrated by Emery Walker

A young woman longs to find a husband who can deliver her from her unexciting rural life.

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First published
1878
Length
143,040 words
Reading time
About 9 hr 56 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

The Return of the Native opens with Thomasin Yeobright returning from her wedding, which was aborted because of an error on the marriage license. She was supposed to wed Damon Wildeve, who seems ambivalent about the marriage, and still secretly longs for Eustacia Vye, a former lover.

Eustacia imagines a better life than that of a lonely young woman living with her grandfather in the rural southwest of England. When Thomasin’s cousin Clym returns from business in Paris, Eustacia sees him as someone who can take her away to a city with charm and beauty, so unlike the heath that she loathes. But Yeobright has other plans.

Hardy originally conceived The Return of the Native as a classical tragedy in five parts, but as it was being serialized, he added a sixth part in consideration of a public that demanded a more satisfying ending. The novel was controversial at the time, dealing with marital dissatisfaction and infidelity.

First published 1878; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 143,040 words arranged in 60 navigable sections.

About the author

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) is described by Wikidata as English novelist and poet (1840–1928), with citizenship or national association recorded as United Kingdom.

Recorded occupations include writer, novelist, screenwriter, and poet. Languages recorded for Thomas Hardy include English. The structured record associates Thomas Hardy with naturalism. Wikidata lists Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure among Thomas Hardy's notable works. Open Library identifies Tess of the d'Urbervilles as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 3759 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes Far from the Madding Crowd, Jude the Obscure, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and The Return of the Native under Thomas Hardy's authorship.

1840–1928

Contributors

Illustrator

Emery Walker

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Adultery
  • Didactic fiction
  • Love stories
  • Mate selection
  • Wessex (England)
  • Mothers and sons
  • People with visual disabilities
  • Heathlands

Table of contents

Open reader
Show all 60 sections
  1. Epigraph
  2. Preface
  3. Frontispiece
  4. The Return of the Native
  5. Book I
  6. I
  7. II
  8. III
  9. IV
  10. V
  11. VI
  12. VII
  13. VIII
  14. IX
  15. X
  16. XI
  17. Book II
  18. I
  19. II
  20. III
  21. IV
  22. V
  23. VI
  24. VII
  25. VIII
  26. Book III
  27. I
  28. II
  29. III
  30. IV
  31. V
  32. VI
  33. VII
  34. VIII
  35. Book IV
  36. I
  37. II
  38. III
  39. IV
  40. V
  41. VI
  42. VII
  43. VIII
  44. Book V
  45. I
  46. II
  47. III
  48. IV
  49. V
  50. VI
  51. VII
  52. VIII
  53. IX
  54. Book VI
  55. I
  56. II
  57. III
  58. IV
  59. List of Illustrations
  60. Endnotes
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