The Mayor of Casterbridge: An 1886 Wessex Novel by Hardy (Annotated)

The Mayor of Casterbridge: An 1886 Wessex Novel by Hardy (Annotated)

Annotated Edition Features: Historical Context - An Introduction To The Literary Period of The Victorian Era - A Historical Timeline of Key Events From 19th Century Britain About "The Mayor of Casterbridge", subtitled "The Life and Death of a Man of Character," is one of Thomas Hardy's most compelling novels, first published in 1886. The novel chronicles the life of Michael Henchard, a young hay-trusser who, in a fit of drunken anger, sells his wife Susan and their baby daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor named Newson at a country fair. When he sobers up, he's horrified by his actions and swears an oath to abstain from alcohol for 21 years. Years later, Henchard has risen to become the Mayor of Casterbridge, a thriving agricultural town in Hardy's fictional region of Wessex. His past, however, comes back to haunt him when Susan and Elizabeth-Jane, believing Newson to be dead, return to seek him out. Henchard attempts to correct his past wrongs, but his life becomes increasingly complicated due to a series of misunderstandings, jealousies, and his own personal failings. Throughout the narrative, Hardy explores themes of fate, responsibility, and the consequences of personal actions. Despite his efforts to escape his past, Henchard's life is marked by tragedy, showing the difficulty of true redemption and the indelible mark of past mistakes. A Classic Reprint This work of British Historical Fiction will make a fantastic addition to your own classic’s library, as well as an excellent gift to those fascinated with the Wessex Tales or even for the lover of Victorian Era Books in your life. We at Century Bound, take every care to ensure that the original integrity of this book has been preserved to the highest degree. This means that the texts in this story are unedited and unaltered from the original author's publication, keeping the books’ original form for your enjoyment.