A portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle humour and irony, it is Hardy's most bright, confident and optimistic novel.

With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Claire Seymour, University of Kent at Canterbury.

Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy's most bright, confident and optimistic novel. This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society, tinged with gentle humour 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 Dick Dewey 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-valued traditional way of life.