The Return of the Native

Abstract

The Return of the Native is an unusual novel. This is apparent from the beginning: it starts with a lengthy description of Egdon Heath. You might find this off-putting and wonder why Hardy describes the setting at such length. As the novel continues, you might find several of the characters, and the incidents in which they are involved, no less puzzling. It is possible, however, to start sorting out a resonse in exactly the same way as illustrated in the previous chapter. Yet at the end of this analysis you might still feel that you have not come to terms with this strange novel. The reason for this is that an initial analysis is likely to concentrate on characters and themes and might miss any real discussion of the form of the novel. In the second half of this chapter, therefore, I suggest some ways of thinking about the form of The Return of the Native, but I start here with ideas about an overall analysis.