Wessex Tales

Wessex Tales is a collection of short stories by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1888. In this collection, Hardy explores the true nature of nineteenth-century marriage and its inherent limitations, the reduction of thought through the use of diluted grammar, the disparities created by class status in determining social rank, the position of women in society, and the harsh impact of even minor illnesses leading to rapid fatality before the advent of effective medical practices. A central theme across these stories is the way social constraints diminish individual happiness, leading to unwanted marriages, the suppression of genuine emotions, and the descent into melancholy due to the restrictive norms of 19th-century society. Stories in this collection are: An Imaginative Woman; The Three Strangers; The Withered Arm; Fellow-Townsmen; Interlopers at the Knap; and, The Distracted Preacher.

This book has 81,153 words, and was originally published in 1888.

Production notes: This ebook of Wessex Tales was published by Global Grey on the 19th August 2024. The artwork used for the cover is 'An English Canal Scene' by Sam Bough.