Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy's most bright, confident and optimistic novel. This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle hümour and quiet irony , established Hardy as a writer. However, the novel is not merely a charming rural idyll. The double-plot, in which the love story of Divk Dewy and Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir, hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived and highly-volued traditional way of life.
Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy's most bright, confident and optimistic novel. This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle hümour and quiet irony , established Hardy as a writer. However, the novel is not merely a charming rural idyll. The double-plot, in which the love story of Divk Dewy and Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir, hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived and highly-volued traditional way of life.
