
Thomas Hardy: Collected Works (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. 15 Novels, 53 Short Stories, 650+ Poems, Essays & PlaysBy Thomas HardyLength279h 24m
About this audiobook
Thomas Hardy: Collected Works gathers the fiction, poetry, and shorter prose of one of Victorian literature's most searching imaginations. Across Wessex novels such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and The Mayor of Casterbridge, Hardy unites pastoral realism with tragic design, examining fate, desire, class, gender, and the pressures of modernity. His verse, austere and musically exact, extends these concerns into elegy, skepticism, and philosophical meditation. Hardy, born in Dorset in 1840, was trained as an architect before turning fully to literature, and that double discipline shaped his art: his works are both carefully structured and deeply attentive to landscape, habitation, and social constraint. Living through industrial change, religious doubt, and shifting moral codes, he transformed rural England into a symbolic geography where private longing collides with historical forces. This collection is recommended for readers seeking the breadth of Hardy's achievement rather than a single masterpiece. It offers an indispensable encounter with a writer who bridged Victorian realism and modern disillusion, and whose humane, unsentimental vision remains profoundly moving.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★★ 4.6 (25)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon
GenreLiterary Classics
Length279 hrs 24 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 11, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Author Biography
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5Novels
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6Under the Greenwood Tree
7Winter
8Spring
9Summer
10Autumn
11Conclusion
12Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 1)
13Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 2)
14Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 3)
15Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 4)
16Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 5)
17Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 6)
18Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 7)
19The Return of the Native
20The Three Women (pt. 1)
21The Three Women (pt. 2)
22The Arrival
23The Fascination (pt. 1)
24The Fascination (pt. 2)
25The Closed Door (pt. 1)
26The Closed Door (pt. 2)
27The Discovery (pt. 1)
28The Discovery (pt. 2)
29Aftercourses
30The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 1)
31The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 2)
32The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 3)
33The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 4)
34The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 5)
35The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 6)
36The Woodlanders (pt. 1)
37The Woodlanders (pt. 2)
38The Woodlanders (pt. 3)
39The Woodlanders (pt. 4)
40The Woodlanders (pt. 5)
41The Woodlanders (pt. 6)
42The Woodlanders (pt. 7)
43Tess of the d'Urbervilles
44The Maiden (pt. 1)
45The Maiden (pt. 2)
46Maiden No More
47The Rally
48The Consequence (pt. 1)
49The Consequence (pt. 2)
50The Woman Pays (pt. 1)