Return of the Native (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Welcome to our August discussion of The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy! This novel was a "readers' choice" selection for this month, back when we still had our excellent moderator Connie. After the board became (presumably) unmoderated, we decide to go ahead with our July and August selections anyway. Peppermill did an excellent job of moderating Sister Carrie in July (kudos to Pepper!!!), and I am going to make the attempt this month. Pepper made it very easy for me by supplying me with all sorts of material already, so I can't take all the credit. (If, at the end of the month, you think there is any credit to be awarded! 
)
To kick things off, here are a couple of online texts that you may find useful. I find that, although I read a 'real' book, these texts are wonderful for searching and for copying/pasting supporting passages and quotations in my posts.
Gutenberg Online Text of The Return of the Native
http://www.online-literature.com/hardy/return-of-t
In the weekly selection threads, I have posted the chapter links for the Gutenberg text.
So, let's get started!
Why did you want to join this discussion? Have you read the novel before (if you have, please beware of posting 'spoilers' that will reveal things from later in the novel that others may not want to know about yet!)? Are you particularly interested in Thomas Hardy, or in this period and/or genre of literature?
As for myself, 19th-century British novels comprise one of my favorite genres of literature - Dickens, Austen, the Brontes, etc. When we read Tess of the D'Urbervilles a while back on this board, as a tie-in with the new Masterpiece production of the novel on PBS, it was a rereading for me: I had read the novel back in college (many moons ago). I realized that I had never read any of Hardy's other novels, and that got me interested in reading more by him. I have seen several miniseries or TV productions of several of his novels. I bought the B&N Classics edition of the novel a while back when there was a sale, but hadn't read it yet, and so I nominated it for this board, and to my surprise, it was selected!
I'm looking forward to discussing this novel with you all! I hope we get a lot of participation!
(Wow - I have to digress and brag a bit - during my posting of all these threads, I started as an Inspired Scribe, later noticed I had progressed to Distinguished Scribe, and now that I'm done, I see I am now a Bibliophile - a rank I had aspired to! Not that I have any idea what it means in context, but I do consider myself a bibliophile in real life, and now I am on B&N, too! Wow, a jump of two whole ranks, LOL!)
Danielle, I'm glad you decided to join us, after all! The more, the merrier! Now that you have mentioned it, I do seem to recall one of the boards discussing this novel a few years back, but I had completely forgotten. I do know that I didn't read it back then, though. Perhaps you picked some things up in that discussion that will come back to you and that you can share with us this time around!
Jerriet, I know what you mean! Although I always have and always will read a lot anyway, these boards have motivated me to reread many books that have been sitting on my shelves for years, as well as reading others that are new to me. For example, I have read at least three Dickens novels as well as several of his shorter works that I had never read before, even though he has been one of my favorite authors since I was a child. It's fun to have others to discuss books with as you are reading them!
Pepper - not behind at all! Officially, we don't even start until Monday! 
Pepper - not behind at all! Officially, we don't even start until Monday!
Dulcinea -- on the reading, not the discussion.
Don't peak now ( 
, LOL!), but I may not have access to a way Monday to post this. Here is a link for Egdon Heath, often considered a character in the novel and whose description dominates the first chapter -- which is as far as I have gotten!
Pepper
