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Eduncle posted an MCQ

October 17, 2019 • 15:38 pm

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UGC NET
English

Which novel of Thomas Hardy begins with the sombre description of Egdon Heath ?

Choose Your Answer:

A Jude the Obscure

B The Return of the Native

C Far from the Madding Crowd

D Under the Greenwood Tree

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Eduncle Best Answer

One of the most prominent figures in Hardy’s. The Return of the Native is not a human character, but the physical landmark- Egdon Heath. The heath's central role is obvious from the beginning. The novel opens with an extensive description of the heath at dusk. Hardy begins by saying: “A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment” (Hardy 3). Even though the main story focuses on the relationships between Eustacia Vye, Clym Yeobright, Wildeve and Thomasin, the heath is the central figure. Many of the events occur on or around Egdon Heath, and equally as important- all of the characters have their own special relationship with the heath.

When first reading Return of the Native, it is hard to miss the fact that this heath is such an important part of the book. But, for many, the question sometimes remains: what is a heath? What does a heath look like? Hardy does an award-winning job at extensively describing Egdon heath for his readers. He even brings the heath alive: “The sombre stretch of rounds and hollows seemed to rise and meet the evening gloom in pure sympathy, the heath exhaling darkness as rapidly as the heavens precipitated it”. However, this extensive description and detail is so specific that it is hard to really understand what a heath simply is unless one already has knowledge of heaths.
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