As Alexander Theroux once said that Hardy was "committed to the deep expression of ironic chaos and strange apathy, even hostility, toward man." Thomas Hardy was one of Britain’s greatest authors. Hardy's work was admired by many younger writers, including D. H. Lawrence, John Cowper Powys, and Virginia Woolf. One of Thomas Hardy’s most powerful works, The Return of the Native centres famously on Egdon Heath, the wild, haunted Wessex moor that D. H. Lawrence called "the real stuff of tragedy." The novel takes place entirely in the environs of Egdon Heath, and, with the exception of the epilogue, Aftercourses, covers exactly a year and a day. Clym Yeobright is schoolmaster with successful but, in his opinion, a shallow career as a jeweller in Paris. He and his cousin Thomasin exemplify the traditional way of life, while Thomasin’s husband, Damon Wildeve, and Clym’s wife, Eustacia Vye, long for the excitement of city life. Disappointed that Clym is content to remain on the heath, Eustacia, willful and passionate, rekindles her affair with the reckless Damon. After a series of coincidences, Eustacia comes to believe that she is responsible for the death of Clym’s mother. In a later edition, to please his readers, Hardy made additions to his novel. Thomasin marries Diggory Venn, a humble longtime suitor, and Clym becomes an itinerant preacher. Enjoy free online English audiobook “The Return of the Native” by Thomas Hardy.
