The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

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Finished 'The Return of the Native' by Thomas Hardy. It is, in many ways a very conventional novel. Set in the 19th century and starts out on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th) the anniversary of the plot to blow up the Parliament. We are introduced to Diggory Venn, a local reddleman (a man who picks reddle used for making red dye) who is giving a ride home to an older man who we later learn is Captain Vye, the grandfather of a beautiful young, Eustacia Vye, a woman who is universally admired by the local men for her beauty, but about whom there are whispers of witchcraft.

Venn also has another passenger who is sleeping in the back of his van, Thomasin Yeobright, a young woman who is returning home, somewhat disgraced as she was meant to be marrying a man named Damon Wildeve, but the marriage was postponed as there was an issue with the marriage certificate. We soon learn that Wildeve is a bit of a rogue who has been carrying on a secret romance with the beautiful Eustacia.

Eustacia is angry at Wildeve for running off to marry Thomasin and soon hears of another eligibile young man, Clement Yeobright (Thomasin's cousin) returning home after a successful career as a diamond dealer in Paris. He is the 'native' returning home.

Finally, we discover, that Diggory Venn also had asked for Thomasin's hand in marriage before she left to marry Wildeve. So there we have it, a perfect love PENTAGON.

While the details of the story are unique, the themes are ones we are all familiar with and they play out somewhat as one might expect.

However, what makes this book so special is the lyrical and poetic nature of Thomas Hardy's writing. His drawing of scenes and scenery serve not only to paint a visual picture but also form the emotional backdrop of many scenes. This is what elevates this story from an entertaining book to a great piece of literature.

In grad school I used to host movie nights at my place every Thursday night and during my time in grad school we had over 250 movie nights. We used to talk about the difference between a FILM and a MOVIE. Movies are entertaining, films are elevating. There is a deeper level of insight into humanity and a kind of artistic nature that takes it to another level. The same thig can be said of books and literature.

Hardy evokes emotion not just through the action of his characters, but also through the language and descriptions that give his stories an ethereal nature.

The story is a fun little romp, but what will stay with me is the use of language. It is what will make me continue to look forward to reading more of his books.