Eustacia Vye as hot-blooded heroine suffering from ennui is compared to a witch and her amour Damon Wildeve is linked with the devil, though it is the omniscient Diggory Venn who was famously described by J.O. The characters have proved devisive from the beginning: a review in the Athaenaeum described the plot as 'a man who is in love with two women, and a woman who is in love with two men the man and the woman being both selfish and sensual.the two persons know no other law than the gratification of their own passions'. Red in tooth and claw it claims as victims those who are unable to appreciate its beauty.

The Heath serves as a touchstone for each character, loved by some, loathed by others. Lawrence claimed that the setting provided 'the real stuff of tragedy' and it would also inspire the composer Gustave Holst. After the social satire The Hand of Ethelberta received a lukewarm response Hardy's subsequent novel was highly praised for its 'insatiably observant' descriptions of Egdon Heath, a character in its own right. Mark Chutter (THS Academic Director): An innovative creative workshop based on extracts from The Return of the Native involving writing, art, dance, music and dramaĪnd a Performance by The New Hardy PlayersĢ023 marks the 145th anniversary of the publication of The Return of the Native. Professor Angelique Richardson (University of Exeter): 'Hardy's Animal Worlds'ĭr Arthur Keegan-Bole (Compser): 'A Musical Homage - Holst's Egdon Heath and Hardy'

Professor Tim Dolin (Curtin University, Perth, Australia): ' The Return of the Native and Hardy's Tragic Vision' THS Study Day 2023 - The Return of the Native A day devoted to one of Hardy's best-loved novels The Town Hall in The Corn Exchange, Dorchester, Dorset Saturday 15th April at 10.00am (Registration opens at 9.15am)

The return of the thomas hardy