The+Return+of+the+Native

**The Return of the Native** Thomas Hardy

Basic Information about the Authuor:


 * born on June 2, 1840
 * English
 * published 14 novels and as many as 40 short stories
 * wrote his first book in his late twenties after giving up a life as an architect
 * died on January 11, 1928
 * for more information on the author, please visit: []



Brief Summary of the Novel


 * tells the story of a confusing love tangle between five main characters: Diggory Venn, Thomasin Yeobright, Damon Wildeve, Clym Yeobright, and Eustacia //e //


 * "Then I started wondering like a bastard what the one sitting next to me, that taught English, thought about, being a nun and all, when she read certain books for English. Books not necessarily with a lot of sexy stuff in them, but books with lovers and all in them. Take old Eustachian Vye, in //The Return of the Native// by Thomas Hardy. She wasn't too sexy or anything, but even so you can't help wondiering what a nun thinks about when she reads about old Eustacia" (page 110).
 * Holden references it as a "classical book" that he read and enjoyed (page 18)

Why was it included?


 * the novel was extremely controversial when it was published because it openly documented scandalous sexual relationships
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Holden is both intrigued by the world of sex and scared of it, just as the general public was by the topic of this book
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Eustacia is a bold woman who desperately wants to live a more adventure-filled life. She is also a misfit who is scorned by many for fear she is a witch.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Holden can relate to this longing to explore the world
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Holden is also a loner who is does not fit in his community or society