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Hardy's first collection of short stories, Wessex Tales contains some of his most famous narratives. 'The Three Strangers' is often described as the quintessential example of his short fiction, while 'The Withered Arm,' with its suggestion of supernatural influences and its shocking conclusion, has thrilled readers for over a century. Tales such as 'Fellow-Townsmen' and 'Intruders at the Knap' showcase Hardy's typically ironic approach to the relationship between the sexes, and 'The Distracted Preacher' shows his undervalued comic touch. The re-introduction of 'An Imaginative Woman' into the collection, which Hardy at one point inserted and then subsequently removed, restores the volume to his original intention. This edition provides an authoritative text and full scholarly apparatus, allowing the reader to trace Hardy's creative process for each of the stories. It also includes an introductory essay discussing the work's composition, publication and critical reception, and comprehensive explanatory notes.
List of contents
Introduction; Volume 1: The Three Strangers; The Withered Arm; Fellow-Townsmen; Volume 2: Interlopers at the Knap; The Distracted Preacher; An Imaginative Woman; Apparatus: List of Variants - Accidentals; End-of-Line Word Division; Editorial Emendations; Appendices: Appendix A - Prefaces to Wessex Tales; Appendix B - Frontispieces; Appendix C - Chapter One of 'Fellow-Townsmen' from New Quarterly Magazine; Appendix D - Description of Principal Texts; Appendix E - Description of Manuscripts; Appendix F - Pall Mall Magazine Illustrations for 'An Imaginative Woman'; Explanatory Notes.
Summary
Hardy's first collection of short stories, Wessex Tales contains some of his most famous narratives. 'The Three Strangers' is often described as the quintessential example of his short fiction, while 'The Withered Arm,' with its suggestion of supernatural influences and its shocking conclusion, has thrilled readers for over a century. Tales such as 'Fellow-Townsmen' and 'Intruders at the Knap' showcase Hardy's typically ironic approach to the relationship between the sexes, and 'The Distracted Preacher' shows his undervalued comic touch. The re-introduction of 'An Imaginative Woman' into the collection, which Hardy at one point inserted and then subsequently removed, restores the volume to his original intention. This edition provides an authoritative text and full scholarly apparatus, allowing the reader to trace Hardy's creative process for each of the stories. It also includes an introductory essay discussing the work's composition, publication and critical reception, and comprehensive explanatory notes.
