WESSEX TALES - Complete Series (Illustrated) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Romantic realism from Victorian Wessex: rural lives amid passion, fate, social critique, Anglo-Saxon echoesBy Thomas Hardy
Length161h 25m
About this audiobook
WESSEX TALES - Complete Series (Illustrated) gathers Thomas Hardy's haunting short fiction set in his semi-mythic Wessex, where rural communities preserve ancient customs while confronting modern dislocation. Marked by irony, psychological acuity, and a tragic sense of circumstance, these tales blend pastoral realism with Gothic atmosphere and moral ambiguity. The illustrated format further enriches Hardy's landscapes, emphasizing the intimate bond between place, memory, and fate. Thomas Hardy, born in Dorset in 1840, drew deeply on the speech, folklore, architecture, and social rituals of southwestern England. Trained as an architect and later celebrated as both novelist and poet, he witnessed the erosion of traditional village life under industrial and social change. This historical sensitivity, joined to his skeptical humanism, shaped the stories' concern with class, marriage, chance, and the burdens of the past. This collection is highly recommended for readers of Victorian literature, regional fiction, and finely wrought tales of human vulnerability. It offers an essential entry into Hardy's imaginative world and a compact demonstration of his enduring power as a storyteller.
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
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length161 hrs 25 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 20, 2017
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1WESSEX TALES - Complete Series (Illustrated) (Annotated)
50The Woman Pays (pt. 1)
2Introduction
51The Woman Pays (pt. 2)
3Author Biography
52The Convert (pt. 1)
4Historical Context
53The Convert (pt. 2)
5Synopsis (Selection)
54Fulfilment
Show all chaptersShow less
6Under the Greenwood Tree
55Jude the Obscure
7Winter
56At Marygreen (pt. 1)
8Spring
57At Marygreen (pt. 2)
9Summer
58At Christminster
10Autumn
59At Melchester (pt. 1)
11Conclusion
60At Melchester (pt. 2)
12Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 1)
61At Shaston
13Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 2)
62At Aldbrickham and Elsewhere (pt. 1)
14Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 3)
63At Aldbrickham and Elsewhere (pt. 2)
15Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 4)
64At Christminster Again (pt. 1)
16Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 5)
65At Christminster Again (pt. 2)
17Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 6)
66A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 1)
18Far from the Madding Crowd (pt. 7)
67A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 2)
19The Return of the Native
68A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 3)
20The Three Women (pt. 1)
69A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 4)
21The Three Women (pt. 2)
70A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 5)
22The Arrival
71A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 6)
23The Fascination (pt. 1)
72A Pair of Blue Eyes (pt. 7)
24The Fascination (pt. 2)
73The Trumpet-Major (pt. 1)
25The Closed Door (pt. 1)
74The Trumpet-Major (pt. 2)
26The Closed Door (pt. 2)
75The Trumpet-Major (pt. 3)
27The Discovery (pt. 1)
76The Trumpet-Major (pt. 4)
28The Discovery (pt. 2)
77The Trumpet-Major (pt. 5)
29Aftercourses
78The Trumpet-Major (pt. 6)
30The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 1)
79Two on a Tower (pt. 1)
31The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 2)
80Two on a Tower (pt. 2)
32The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 3)
81Two on a Tower (pt. 3)
33The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 4)
82Two on a Tower (pt. 4)
34The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 5)
83Two on a Tower (pt. 5)
35The Mayor of Casterbridge (pt. 6)
84The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid (pt. 1)
36The Woodlanders (pt. 1)
85The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid (pt. 2)
37The Woodlanders (pt. 2)
86The Well-Beloved
38The Woodlanders (pt. 3)
87A Young Man of Twenty
39The Woodlanders (pt. 4)
88A Young Man of Forty (pt. 1)
40The Woodlanders (pt. 5)
89A Young Man of Forty (pt. 2)
41The Woodlanders (pt. 6)
90A Young Man of Sixty (pt. 1)
42The Woodlanders (pt. 7)
91A Young Man of Sixty (pt. 2)
43Tess of the d'Urbervilles
92Wessex Tales (pt. 1)
44The Maiden (pt. 1)
93Wessex Tales (pt. 2)
45The Maiden (pt. 2)
94Wessex Tales (pt. 3)
46Maiden No More
95Wessex Tales (pt. 4)
47The Rally
96Analysis
48The Consequence (pt. 1)
97Reflection
49The Consequence (pt. 2)
98Memorable Quotes
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