A powerful character study of a man whose past refuses to be buried.
From the stunning opening wife-selling scene (at one time a not uncommon phenomenon in England) to the final playing out his tragedy, Michael Henchard proves to be violent, selfish, greedy and crude. At the same time he possesses magnanimity, humility and a comparison that always pleased Hardy.
Whatever his sins, Henchard impresses the readers with his his robustness and life-force, and with his refusal to by-pass life's possibilities. In depicting a man who overreaches the limits, Hardy once again demonstrates his uncanny psychological grasp and his deeply rooted knowledge of mid-nineteenth-century Dorset.
Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Martin Seymour-Smith
About the Author
An English Victorian author of novels, poems, and short stories, Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is best known for the classic books Far from the Madding Crowd, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Set mostly in the semi-imagined region of Wessex, Hardy’s fictional works retain their popularity thanks to an accessible style, Romantic plots, and richly drawn characters. Hardy's outspoken criticism of Victorian society excited such profound controversy that the author abandoned fiction and in the 20th century published only poetry.
