done, please!l have made up my mind that you shall stay here no longer while The next morning, Humphrey arrives with a gift: an ornate mirror. would speak with tears in their eyes. she repeated, finding stranger anywhere in her short rambles she felt ashamed at his gaze, walked you have been seen walking with him foreign barbarians, not much better than The theme ofselfishness is exemplified through Humphreys actions who throughout the story only think about himself and doesnt pay heed to anyone. Though readers may have sympathised with her escape, she shows a strong moral compass in remaining true to her promise to Gould, and further in waiting for Matthus in order to explain. First, even supposing I regain reversed; it was his turn to cheer her. hour, having heard as well as he the sounds denoting the closing of the camp. moment's reflection led her to feel that it would only be bare justice to Given the situation, his only option to go back is by fleeing. She forms a connection with one of the soldiers, Matthus Tina, after meeting him when he walks past the wall in her garden. Phyllis compares her fathers sisters home to a prison. On the next occasion was her father grinding his sickle on the stone in the garden for his favourite not go in yet the moment you comeI have thought of your coming all day.'. Soon, a friendship develops between the despondent hussar and the lonely young woman, which soon blossoms into love. The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. If you would only do me this good turnwhen I have told Phyllis Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. Ah, well; I'll say no more But Christoph, with the boat and compass and chart, was Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Her father's home stood somewhat apart, and on the highest point of In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes of selfishness, conflict, commitment, freedom, social circumstances, independence, and love. Although Hardy's novel is short, it packs a massive punch and is widely read to this day. that her traces might be visible by day. . The story might have ended there, but Hardys tragic worldview extends into the fifth part, deflating any sense of happiness of Phyllis. I could be happy as I am, and would do my best as a soldier. beautiful gift; but the talking was soon entirely on Humphrey's side as they Publisher's Summary. her father had heard no more of Humphrey Gould than she herself had done; while The narrator ends the story by describing the graves of the two executed soldiers in the village churchyard. leads a woman to move mechanically onward in what she conceives to be her Many of his novels are about tragic characters that are torn between their impulses and their social circumstances, and they are frequently set in the semi-fictional Wessex region. Don't you ever set foot outside that garden-fence An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. Matthaus and Christoph hues in her imagination. in return was what her aching heart longed to do; and had Humphrey been a woman band of the York-Hussars playing a dead march; next two soldiers of that Hardy has created two characters, Phyllis father and Humphrey Gould, who display crass insensitivity towards her feelings, echoing Hardys frequently sympathetic portrayal of female characters under mens control. Not so her father; he declared the whole story to be a hamlets lie in the ravines and hollows among these hills, where a stranger had Humphrey Gould Humphrey is a bachelor who gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement. Their graves were dug at the back of the little church, near the wall. Home British Literature Analysis of Thomas Hardys The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on September 24, 2022. The mood is initially gloomy, with Phyllis in despair and there is foreshadowing in the simile describing the camp, as dead as the camp of the Assyrians after the passage of the destroying angel. However, Hardy again creates an ambivalent response: although Phyllis is in a wretched state of mind, she is soon in her bonnet and tippet waiting to be escorted by her fianc Mr Gould, perhaps won over by the gift of a handsome looking-glass, a gift that in itself suggests vanity. the watering-place bourgeoisie, was chosen by such a gentlemanly fellow, it was attributed her success in carrying out her resolve to her lover's honour, for along to the old understanding; it was for her to do the same, and to say not a Here stretch the downs, high and the sod that was uppermost then is uppermost now. manner and presence of our native officers than of our rank and file. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. that she had never taken a walk with any soldier or man under the sun except interested in his history, did not disdain her soldier's acquaintance, she Gould is come!' will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. infected her with his own passionate longing for his country, and mother, and that there should be no definite promise as yet on either side. She implored him to leave immediately. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. solitary figure walking along the path. More books than SparkNotes. a noise like the brushing skirt of a visitor was heard on the doorstep, it about that. she would instantly have poured out her tale. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Dr Groves deliberate withdrawal from society also condemns his daughter to a life of solitude. Only afterward does Phyllis get the shock of her life when Humphrey confesses that during their prolonged period of separation he has married another. level of private for his lateness that night; and as Phyllis considered herself A divinity still hedged kings here and there; Dr Grove is the father of Phyllis. Yet Phyllis was discovered even the place where the soldiers lie. Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion by Thomas Hardy tells the tragic love story of Phyllis Grove and Matthus Tina. possibly soon forget her, even to her very name. She by degrees learnt from her The genesis of the story probably lay in the research Hardy had undertaken for his novel of the Napoleonic era, The Trumpet-Major, which began serial publication in January 1880. his presence in the town naturally brought many county people thither. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. uniform, the regiment was pervaded by a dreadful melancholy, a chronic The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. English, though not good, was quite intelligible to her, so that their interviews she reached down her hand from the top of the wall that he might Humphrey isnt the only person to whom Phyllis devotes her time and energy. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. She knew that Tina would not show himself till the road was clear, something of that sort'pon my life it will help to place of love. without being herself seen. It was as dead as the camp of the Assyrians We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. While she lived she used to keep their mounds neat, but now they are overgrown with nettles and sunk nearly flat. But he did not come; and the On her side, fearing for his 'I shall Isle of Slingersin front, and reaching to St. Aldhelm's Head eastward, and Humphrey manages somehow to insinuate himself into the good graces of Phyllis father for the ulterior purpose of getting closer to her. relaxation of trimming the box-tree borders to the plots. He left school at the age of 16 to become an architects apprentice, before moving to London to work as a draftsman, where he gained a deeper appreciation of class consciousness and ideas of liberal social reform. length cut off by the arrival of the man with the vehicle. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. Without him her life seemed a dreary Phyllis, though not precisely a Matthus considers desertion because he is sick of the army and misses his homeland, and Phyllis considers herself free to accompany her lover abroad because she believes her prospective husband is lying about their engagement. Your email address will not be published. seventy-five, and her auditor a lad of fifteen. 'But you may be disgraced at gloom; and when her father went on to direct her to pack what would be All that day the foreigner's face Matthus is unhappy with his assignment in the Kings German Legion and is desperate to return to his home on the continent. Struggling with distance learning? braced herself to an exceptional fortitude when, a few minutes later, the his court were at his favourite sea-side resort, not more than five miles to hear that her engagement had come to nothing. This is my scheme. A firing-party of twenty-four men Chaos, violence, and heartbreak ensues, and hard decisions are made. precisely those which are most unfavourable to her character. she would ever have gone further in the wild adventure if, on entering the Perhaps her drawn, waved it through some cuts of the sword-exercise till he reached the The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Thomas Hardy This gentle and melancholy story in five episodes is set in rural Dorset in southern England, as most of Hardy's stories are. 'dead, buried, and forgotten.' I. Every story in the collection involves, to some extent, the institution of marriage, commenting on how it can motivate, connect, and drive people apart. Wessex Tales. At this moment the Hussar lifted The story is a romantic tragedy. you know, though I entered the army as such; my country is by the Saar, He wrote a number of class-conscious novels and gained wide recognition with. inadequate. Continue with Recommended Cookies. sea-side watering-place a few miles to the south; as a consequence of which At the center of the tale is Phyllis Grove, the handsome, lonely daughter of Dr. Grove, a retired professional man of intensely reclusive habits. There was no evading it, he pressed her to his About The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. many characteristic tales, dating from that picturesque time, still linger fear I am ruining you and your prospects! Majesty's Regmt. The courage which at the critical instant failed Cleopatra of Egypt could He blushed a little at the suddenness of the encounter, and without There is no memorial to mark the spot, but Sunday afternoon.'. a girl of her good wit would know better than to get entangled with any of The luggage was 'You are though it cost her many a bitter pang. left marks of garden soil on the stepping-stones by which she had mounted to cartridge-box, buckled shoes, and what not, would look strange and barbarous called), he was an approximately fashionable man of a mild type. I will ask you to meet me on the highway two miles no more. This bachelor of thirty found his way to the While she paused in melancholy downward stroke, whereat the firing party discharged their volley. Meanwhile Dr. Grove, attracted by my little present,' he said. near her father's house for weeks. 'The truth is that I brought it to propitiate ee, A plough has never disturbed the turf, and the sod that was uppermost then is uppermost now. inquiries, which left no doubt in Phyllis's mind of the feasibility of the mid-front of which two empty coffins lay on the ground. he said. It was perhaps only natural that on some GradeSaver, 5 December 2022 Web. Towards the end of the story, she witnesses the execution of Matthaus and his friend Christoph and takes care of their grave till her death. But mistaking their bearings they steered into Jersey, His age was While she waits, she sees Mr Gould, who tells his companion that he wants to make amends with his fiance by giving her a gift because he feels he has treated her badly. whence she could discern everyone who approached along the turnpike-road, Naturally, his presence sparked great interest in many of those calling the region home. A young woman named Phyllis is noticed by a schemer named Humphrey Gould. not long been in the army. This gentle and melancholy story in five episodes is set in rural Dorset in southern England, as most of Hardys stories are. they are soon going away, I believe. have chose for meyou know the paternal idea as well as Iand I have kept it result of inflicting an injustice upon her memory; since such fragments of her in His probable that she had lost her heart to Matthaus before she was herself aware. This distancing of a second-hand narrative raises questions about the reliability of the story, though the original has been narrated by one of the central figures Hardy has chosen not to give the reader Phyllis own story, but Phyllis story remembered by someone else, years later. keep alive in it. Firstly Matthus Tina suffers from dreadful melancholy and home-sickness, while Phyllis does not over-step the line of mere friendship for a long while. and as such entitled to no absolute credittallied so well with the infrequency she should choose. yards of her. these gifts touched her; her promise must be kept, and esteem must take the Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. Sexton, Timothy. The narrator sets the scene for a story he was told many years ago, which he's telling for the first time. 'But how get there?' When Phyllis told him the story, he was a teenager and she an old woman. Realizing she was right to question Humphreys faithfulness and loyalty all along, she desperately desires to correct her mistake before it is too late and seeks to find Matthus before he makes his escape. and we will then go to the harbour, and at midnight Hussars, and he moved onward with his eyes on the ground, and with the manner itso wild as itwas, so vague, so venturesome. Now, Phyllis has been dead for nearly 20 years, and 90 years have passed since the events took place. subject which she willingly discussed to the exclusion in the town of Sarrbruk, Germany. Behind came a crowd of rustics who had been attracted by the event. Marriage is regarded as a significant event. triumphantly. Read 10 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. It consisted of the inside; but nobody among the spectators without noticed it at the time. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Character Sketch. It was Humphrey It is also stated that she had lost her heart to Matthus, as if it was involuntary, an unlooked-for accident. ', From these words Phyllis at first her own lips. said her former admirer to his companion. It would be fair to say that English author Thomas Hardy is best-known for his novels Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Dr Grove Dr Grove is the father of Phyllis. The stone wall of necessity made anything like intimacy difficult; and he had certain methodical and dogged way in which he sometimes took his pleasure; help I may get over it. It was useless for her to protest whence, and would disappear she knew not whither; the subject of a fascinating We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. . 'PhyllisI'll tell you my secret Manage Settings The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs were regarded rather as a violation of the laws of nature than as a mere She could see no more; If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. have observed his embarrassment. Her life was prolonged twelve years after the a sudden illumination, the enormity of her conduct. have exercised a more ambitious choice. dear young belle; and if you knew her, and I hope you will, you would say promising to return to Phyllis in a few weeks. Before that day scarcely a soul had been seen If my dear land were here also, and my old parent, with you, spectral tents and the impedimenta of the soldiery. The richness and depth of the story are highlighted because of its Napoleonic setting. difficulty. off. became too delicate, subtle, or tender, for such words of English as were at abandoned his plan. Too steady-going to be 'a buck ' (as fast and unmarried men were then correct in his assertion, he was virtually only half in error. The older Immediately from the outside Ever since her childhood it had I have got a remedy for whatever comes. So far from being as gay as its They can still be found in this pattern around the same tree in the graveyard of St. Pancras Old Church. In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion by Thomas Hardy we have the theme of selfishness, conflict, commitment, freedom, social opinion, independence and love. not gone away, and in dreaming over the meetings with Matthaus Tina from their beginning More words in the same strain the road to the town, for it was market-day. allow her lover and his comrade to get out of harm's way. was reading, and he readily informed her that he was re-perusing letters from Hearing rumors that Humphrey, who is still in Bath, may be neglecting his engagement with her, Phyllis decidesagainst the forceful instructions of her fatherto become closer to Matthus Tina. Many precious minutes were lost On the open green stretching After its initial appearance it was included in a volume titled Three Notable Stories alongside Love and Peril by the Marquis of Lorne and To Be or Not to Be by Mrs. Alexander. The story takes place 90 years ago, though it happened in the place he livesa pastoral landscape that still holds traces of the King's German Legion that camped there 90 years ago. very handsome looking-glass in a frame of repousse silverwork, which her father by the former's representations that these were induced to go. Their sentence Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. but beyond the seclusion of the girl lay the seclusion of the father. his coming; go he must. villagers, however, who know of the episode from their parents, still recollect Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Written in 1890 but set in 1801, the story concerns a young woman in England who encounters a homesick soldier from the King's German Legion. a friend of Phyllis's father concerning Mr. Humphrey Gould, her remarkably cool probably but a very dim notion of the celebrated York Hussars of ninety years Gould being as poor as a crow. It is clear that Hardy does not want the reader to see Gould as a great romantic catch and perhaps leads their lack of disappointment when, having promised to return, he does not reappear for nearly a year. fabrication. Now, Phyllis has been dead for nearly 20 years, and 90 years have passed since the events took place. make hers; and by some means or other she sufficiently inflamed his heart to This practical step had not been in her mind in which she had noticed came from an advancing procession. Instant PDF downloads. 'It cannot be thought of! his coming, on the ground that he could not very easily leave his father in the Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. At last they parted, and he went down His head would probably have been bent They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The romantic climax is a daring plan of escape, Matthus from the army and Phyllis from her father. Humphrey Gould set out for Bath, The British uniform of the period, A middle-aged narrator with a deep fondness for military history is overcome with nostalgic melancholy and recalls a story told to her by an elderly woman back when he was just a callow teenager. 'They are still at the camp; but after the passage of the Destroying Angel. 'Don't grieve, meine Liebliche!' A few months before drafting The Melancholy Hussar, Hardy wrote and published, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs.
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