by Tomm Swords

Created on: December 02, 2009   Last Updated: December 03, 2009

It was once my intention to get through everything that Thomas Hardy had ever written, and as part of this quest I figured it would be a good idea to start somewhere near the beginning.

The Poor Man and the Lady was really out of the question: somehow I imagined obtaining a copy of that would be somewhat difficult. Instead, I plumped for this, Under the Greenwood Tree.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it is here that I must stress something: I rarely approach a book as a piece of literature, i.e., something to studied, rather than enjoyed - unless of course, it is required of me to study it. I generally just want to be told a good story, which I can live at the time and gently reflect upon later. That is not to say I won't, at some point after reading a book, give some thought to the issues and other concerns the writer meant to convey to the reader.

Essentially this is a love story, a romance. What it also is, is a wonderful painting of British rural life in the nineteenth century, particularly English rural life and specifically the South West of England centred around Dorset, i.e., the fictional Wessex. Not having been exposed to the rural history of Dorset and its surrounding counties, I found this book to be a marvellous insight.

The plot revolves around two young characters Dick Dewy, a church musician, and Fancy Day, a new school-mistress to the village of Mellstock. As with any romantic story, there is generally a third party involved, in this case the local Vicar, Vicar Maybold, and a rich farmer of the area, Frederic Shiner. As can be expected, complications arise and, true to Hardy fashion, these are not just complications, but difficulties. These difficulties don't have the size and complications we see introduced in Hardy's later works and, in relative terms, this book has a 'feel-good' factor to it.

Hardy's works play with the moral and ethical issues of the time, for example, divorce, and this is all too apparent in his later works, which progressively get more tragic with each new title. It would be too easy to dismiss Under the Greenwood Tree as a blip in Hardy's style, due in part to its 'light' approach, if you didn't know this was one of his earlier works. There is though, a subtle undertone in this work which suggests what is to come.

Like I said, I enjoy a good story first, but Hardy really does transport you back in time and place to that wonderful rural idyll we imagine, but be warned! If you have never read Hardy and you decide to work your way through his books, any idyllic vision of the rural past you may have had will eventually be replaced by the harsh reality of living in these times and places.

Don't let the loveliness of this book fool you. Once you have enjoyed it, consider re-reading a few months down the line, for a different take.

This is a nice gentle start to Hardy, but be prepared for harsh reality, the further into his works you get.

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