So you say I have a chance?

A belief in determinism engenders a lack of chance in life. Things happen for a reason to determinists. There are no coincidences or random occurrences. Remember, Hardy was dramatically influences by the writings of Charles Darwin in Origin of the Species. We just finished reading Hardy’s poem, “Hap,” which personifies the idea of Chance. The character rails against god (line 1) and Fate (Casualty, line 11) who are making his life miserable. Find some examples of “chance” or happenstance that occur in Return of the Native. Post them here for all to see.

Celebration of rural life

Critic Richard Carpenter says, "Far From the Madding Crowd developes...the vividly realized setting of field and farm without the grim majesty of Egdon Heath (in Return of the Native)." Choose a descriptive passage of "grim majesty" from the first 75 pages and post it to this blog as a comment. Then comment on each others posts.

Be sure to check the posts from Far From the Madding Crowd as their setting differs from yours greatly. This should give you a well-rounded sense of Hardy's treatment of setting.

Going Native

The word "native" in the title holds a touch of irony. "Native" was a term given to those inhabitants of a geographic region in which the British government wanted to invade and colonize. It was used in a derogatory and condescending manner to reinforce the dominance of British power throughout the world. For example, this is where the term "Native Americans" comes from.

What various meanings for the word "native" can you derive? Knowing two of Hardy's main themes from the Jessica Teisch article, what could he mean by using it in this novel's title?