The Greenwood Tree: Thomas Hardy's Spiritual Hometown

Thomas Hardy, the great writer and poet of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, has been well known to the reader for his masterpieces The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Caster bridge, Tess of the D 'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The critics have also focused their attention on these books of his. Yet his Under the Greenwood Tree has been ignored so far. It has been generally commented simply as a "beautiful idyll". Many Chinese readers know nothing about it because of the lack of a Chinese version of it.This dissertation lays its emphasis on the analysis of how Hardy is related to this book, so as to prove that this book is not only a beautiful idyll, but also an idealized portrait of the patriarchal society, Hardy's spiritual hometown.The dissertation is divided into seven chapters.Chapter I, "Introduction", is about how this novel got published, its main threads and the general critical assessments of it. The author tries to point out that it has been ignored by the critics.In Chapter II, "About Under the Greenwood Tree", the author of the dissertation gives a comprehensive analysis of this novel. Firstly, the change of the title reflects the final decision of Hardy: he was to portray his idealized patriarchal society, rather than honestly reflect the reality. Then, the author appreciates the work from different aspects, emphasizing its revelation of the tradition. Finally, the image of "the greenwood tree" ishighlighted. According to the author, it is the "soul" of the book, reflecting Hardy's optimistic view of the patriarchal order.Chapter III, "Hardy and Under the Greenwood Tree" probes the close contact between Hardy's early life and this book. The book is set in Hardy's hometown. The archetypes of many characters are the people related to the novelist. The dialect, music, dancing, traditional customs of this novel are all based on the true life of Hardy's hometown. The author concludes: this book is an affectionate portraiture of Hardy's hometown and its people. Hardy is the spokesman of the traditional country life and local culture.Chapter IV "Under the Greenwood Tree and other 'Novels of Character and Environment" is an analysis of the similarities and differences of Under the Greenwood Tree and other "Novels of Character and Environment". It reveals the unique position of this book in Hardy's "Novels of Character and Environment", his best achievements in fiction. The author of this dissertation regards this book as the beginning chapter of Hardy's chronicle of his Wessex under the clashes of the old and the new.Chapter V "Hardy and His Time" analyses Hardy's time and his temperament. Founded on this analysis, the author sees Hardy's dilemma: while admitting the progress brought by the replacement of the old order by the new, he regrets deeply the loss of the traditional culture under the impulse of the change.Chapter VI "Hardy and His Wessex" points out that Hardy's "Wessex" has different scopes in different stages of his novel writing. In his early works as represented by Under the Greenwood Tree, his "Wessex" is equivalent to his hometown. This chapter mainly talks about what a significant role his hometown plays in his novel writing, as well as how he is attached to his hometown.Chapter VII "Conclusion" reinforces that "the greenwood tree" signifies the patriarchal order, especially its traditional customs and culture; that it is Thomas Hardy's spiritual hometown.