The Nine Years 1871–1879

Abstract

The 1870s were for Hardy years of steady progress as a novelist. It was a period in which he had seven novels published, including three of his finest: Under the Greenwood Tree (1872), Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) and The Return of the Native (1878). Although the literary world began to realise that here was an exceptional writer, the general public was not impressed and the first edition of Under the Greenwood Tree did not sell well, while the first edition of Far from the Madding Crowd and The Return of the Native were both remaindered. Hardy had yet to acquire the success which brings the journalist and the famous to visit and then record their visits. In this decade there is little more material available than there was previously.KeywordsLiterary WorldSteady ProgressAmerican ReaderBook LeverBritish ArchitectThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.