The return of the native / Thomas Hardy ; edited with an introduction and notes by George Woodcock

Harmondsworth : Penguin, 1978. First Edition. Softcover. Near fine copy in the original stiff-card wrappers; edges slightly nicked and dust-dulled as with age. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; 491p : map ; 19 cm. Notes; This ed. originally published: 1978. 1983 reprint. Includes bibliographical references. Summary; This fine novel sets in opposition two of Thomas Hardy's most unforgettable creations: his heroine, the sensuous, free-spirited Eustacia Vye, and the solemn, majestic stretch of upland in Dorsetshire he called Egdon Heath. The famous opening reveals the haunting power of that dark, forbidding moon where proud Eustacia fervently awaits a clandestine meeting with her lover, Damon Wildeve. But Eustacia's dreams of escape are not to be realized--neither Wildeve nor the retuming native Clym Yeobright can bring her salvation. Injured by forces beyond their control, Hardy's characters struggle vainly in the net of destiny. In the end, only the face of the lonely heath remains untouched by fate in this masterpiece of tragic passion, a tale that perfectly epitomizes the author's own unique and melancholy genius. Subjects; Fiction in English. English fiction. Fiction in English, 1837-1900 � Texts General & literary fiction ; Classic fiction. FICTION / Classics. Genre; Fiction.