Overview

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.

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9781107091054

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N. H. Reeve was Professor of English, former COAH Director of Research and Head of Department at Swansea University. He contributed volumes to the Cambridge editions of D. H. Lawrence and Henry James, along with editing Wessex Tales for the Hardy edition. He also published on the work of Rex Warner, J. H. Prynne, and Elizabeth Bowen. Professor Reeve passed away on April 1, 2018. Richard Nemesvari is Professor of English and former Dean of Arts at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. He has published on such authors as Wilkie Collins, the Brontës, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, as well as Thomas Hardy. His most recent publication is the co-edited collection of essays Wilkie Collins in Context. He is General Editor of the Cambridge University Press Edition of the Novels and Stories of Thomas Hardy.

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