From the Bookshelf of Works of Thomas Hardy…
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The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion (from Wessex Tales) hosted by Erich
By Bridget , Moderator · 85 posts · 21 views
By Bridget , Moderator · 85 posts · 21 views
last updated May 16, 2025 03:01PM
An Imaginative Woman (from Wessex Tales) hosted by Jennifer
By Bionic Jean , Moderator · 164 posts · 24 views
By Bionic Jean , Moderator · 164 posts · 24 views
last updated Sep 30, 2023 08:27AM
What Members Thought
Supernatural events lead to a farmer's wife developing a withered arm. A conjurer tells her the cure for her affliction - which takes the story into horror territory. Thomas Hardy included superstitions, folk customs, and a look at social injustice in early 19th Century England in "The Withered Arm" and the other stories in his first story collection, "Wessex Tales."
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I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's atmospheric, dark and suspenseful. One is drawn to the characters and what it happening to them.
I would love to add details but the less one knows of the story, the better when going in. Suffice to say that regret, fear, innocence, and more all play a part. ...more
I would love to add details but the less one knows of the story, the better when going in. Suffice to say that regret, fear, innocence, and more all play a part. ...more
A wonderful short story by Thomas Hardy. Full of witchcraft and jealousy. Would be a great story to read around the campfire.
