The Trumpet-Major

by Thomas Hardy, Charles P C Pettit (Introduction), Charles P C Pettit (Noted by), Keith Carabine (Editor)

Overview

With an Introduction and Notes by Charles P.C. Pettit.

Thomas Hardy's only historical novel, The Trumpet Major is set in Wessex during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardy skilfully immerses us in the life of the day, making us feel the impact of historical events on the immemorial local way of life - the glamour of the coming of George III and his soldiery, fears of the press-gang and invasion, and the effect of distant but momentous events like the Battle of Trafalgar.

He interweaves a compelling, bitter-sweet romantic love story of the rivalry of two brothers for the hand of the heroine Anne Garland, played out against the loves of a lively gallery of other characters. While there are elements of sadness and even tragedy, The Trumpet-Major shows Hardy's skills of story-telling, characterisation and description in a novel of vitality, comedy and warmth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853262463
Publisher:	Wordsworth Editions, Limited
Publication date:	01/28/1995
Series:	Classics Library Series
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.82(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), English poet, dramatist, and novelist, was born on the Egdon Heath in Dorset. He studied in Dorchester and apprenticed to an architect before leaving for London, where he began to write. Unable to find a public for his poetry, which idealized the rural life, he turned to the novel and met with success as well as controversy. The strong public reaction against some of his darker themes turned him back to writing verse. Today several of his novels are considered masterpieces of tragedy.

Nicholas Rowe’s theater credits include The Madness of George III, Nation, Victory, Whipping It Up, and See How They Run. His television work includes Da Vinci’s Demons, Loving Miss Hatto, The Borgias, Beau Brummel, and A Harlot’s Progress, and his films include Nicholas Nickleby, Lock, Stock, and
Two Smoking Barrels, and Young Sherlock Holmes.

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

Editorial Reviews

Hearkening back to the Wessex of an earlier Napoleonic period, Hardy’s novel creates a homely world of likeable, though sometimes dull folk, anxious to get on with the business of falling in love despite the threat of imminent landing by the French…For readers used to Hardy’s star-crossed characters, this romance is a delightful discovery.”

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