The Hand of Ethelberta

by Thomas Hardy

Overview

The tale of an opportunistic yet ultimately loyal adventuress who begins life humbly and ends as the wife of a rakish aristocrat, The Hand of Ethelberta is a book that will surprise readers of Hardy's more familiar, and darker, Wessex novels. A conscious parody of the popular romances of the period, Hardy combines elements of domestic melodrama, earnest bildungsroman, ludicrous Restoration comedy, Gothic intrigues, and drawing-room farce with calculated irreverence for literary form. As Tim Dolin writes in his Introduction, Ethelberta "lives out a racier version of the Cinderella story in which the scullery-maid abandons the prince for the more glamorous role of fairy-godmother".

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781517170455
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	09/03/2015
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.02(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) wrote novels and poetry, much of which is set in the semi-imaginary county of Wessex. His novels include Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge(1886), Tess of the D'Urbervilles(1891) and Jude the Obscure (1895). He published his first volume of poetry, Wessex Poems, in 1898 and continued to publish collections of poems until his death.

Patricia Ingham is Senior Research Fellow and Reader at St Anne's College, Oxford. She has written on the Victorian novel and on Hardy in particular. She is the General Editor of all of Hardy's fiction in the Penguin Classics and has edited Gaskell's North and South for the series.

Date of Birth:

June 2, 1840

Date of Death:

January 11, 1928

Place of Birth:

Higher Brockhampon, Dorset, England

Place of Death:

Max Gate, Dorchester, England

Education:

Served as apprentice to architect James Hicks

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The Hand of Ethelberta is … a portrait of two artists – Ethelberta Petherwin and Thomas Hardy …"
—Tim Dolin

Editorial Reviews

"The Hand of Ethelberta is … a portrait of two artists – Ethelberta Petherwin and Thomas Hardy …"
—Tim Dolin

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Hardy's (1840–1928) lighthearted novel, first published serially in The Cornhill Magazine in 1876, follows an ambitious daughter of a serving-class family in England. With a melodious voice, narrator Fenella Woolgar portrays Ethelberta, who is determined to raise herself and her family out of poverty. At the age of 17, she marries into an upper-class household but is widowed less than a year later. She then crafts a new identity for herself as a poet and storyteller and seeks out another well-heeled husband, all the while disguising her humble origins. Ethelberta balances on a knife's edge, keeping multiple suitors waiting, and eventually settles on an older "peer of the realm" with secrets of his own. This story is not typical of its author, who is known for tragedies such as Jude the Obscure and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Here, Hardy creates a story full of humor, wry wit, and irony, couched in the flowery Victorian prose of the time. Woolgar's narration is perfectly attuned to Hardy's words, capturing his sly deprecation of the English class system, including the silly pretenses of people of all classes in the novel. VERDICT An excellent addition to any audio classics collection.—Joanna M. Burkhardt

Library Journal - Audio

Fenella Woolgar gives an exemplary performance of this gentle comic novel, which skews the English class system. Ethelberta is a beautiful and clever young widow who is struggling to provide financial support for her nine siblings and invalid mother. When her efforts as a poet fail, her practicality impels her to consider marriage to one of her many tenacious suitors. Woolgar provides Ethelberta with a youthful, light tone that belies her resolute nature. Woolgar expertly distinguishes the many characters with individualized vocal expression. Her pacing is relaxed, and her vivid depictions of rural and city settings add atmosphere. This novel is an easy listen and can serve as an introduction to Hardy's works. M.J. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2023 - AudioFile