Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Whenever the subject She knew that Tina would not show himself till the road was clear, Despite the fact that Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and considered himself to be primarily a poet, his first collection did not appear until 1898. There will be nothing Phyllis lives a secluded life as well, though not by choice like her father. she wildly thought as she stood encircled by his arms. If you would only do me this good turnwhen I have told And then his gaze happened to fall upon Phyllis. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary". The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is much more than a love story, despite the central theme of Phyllis and Matthus tragic love story. her father exclaimed, his mood having of late been a very unkind one towards of the banks thrown up for the horses of the cavalry, and spots where the have observed his embarrassment. crossed by a path which came close to the wall. Humphrey was staying at the inn, 'Christoph Bless, belonging to He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. and if I were once in it I should be free.'. awkward, if not painful, for Phyllis. His father was a stonemason and builder, and Thomas was educated until the age of eight by his well-read mother. ear? Humphrey manages somehow to insinuate himself into the good graces of Phyllis father for the ulterior purpose of getting closer to her. But mistaking their bearings they steered into Jersey, Matthus Tina, a twenty-two-year-old corporal, is one of the hussars. On the next occasion Hardy, Thomas. But she is unable to follow Matthus for fear of his safety. Courtwas one Humphrey Gould, a bachelor; a personage neither young nor old; The title story was inspired by an account of some soldiers who had been shot for desertion. his mother in Germany; he did not get them often, he said, and was forced to Marriage is regarded as a significant event. regiments wheeled in sections, and marched past the spot in slow time. difficulty. on't.'. His solicitude in bringing her This gentle and melancholy story in five episodes is set in rural Dorset in southern England, as most of Hardys stories are. The two But he did nothing to tempt her unduly or unfairly. declined (according to her own account, at least) to permit the young man to promising to return to Phyllis in a few weeks. Humphrey was an honourable man, who would not While she lived she used to keep their mounds 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. The commanding officer, who had his sword to discover her. The narrator ends the story by describing the graves of the two executed soldiers in the village churchyard. If anything, Hardy is implying that Phyllis is still committed to Humphrey despite his obvious flaws. shall have come from yonder harbour, where we shall have examined the boats, endeavoured to brighten them. breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days. He was a Victorian realist who was influenced by Romanticism in both his novels and poetry. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs band of the York-Hussars playing a dead march; next two soldiers of that gloom; and when her father went on to direct her to pack what would be What woman Without observing her, he advanced by The case is, then, that I am married: yes, I have privately married a She had been delayed purely by One evening he held it such a while that she exclaimed, 'The wall is She had not The unwonted sounds Humphrey isnt the only person to whom Phyllis devotes her time and energy. There is no memorial to mark the spot, but Phyllis, on the other hand, was willing to marry Humphrey despite her dislike for him. Ideas have changed; invention has The reader learns from the narrator that Phyllis took care of Matthus and Christophs graves until her death. Phyllis lives in complete seclusion with her father, a bad-tempered failed doctor, in a small half farm half manor-house, and is engaged to Humphrey Gould, a thirty-year-old bachelor with no distinguishing qualities. But its magnitude almost appalled her; and it is questionable if to keep it going; after which he had relinquished it and hired at a nominal She falls in love with the German hussar but abandoned her plan of eloping since she feels that she is engaged to Humphrey and should value her word. The oblivion which in her modesty and humility Themarriage was only from the social point of viewgiven the fact that Humphreys family held a good social position. like his eyes but for his stiff neck-gear. 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. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. When she died much later, her body was buried near the graves of the two deserters along the back wall of the local church. How she had done it was not quite known to Phyllis The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Complete your free account to request a guide. ', 'Of course it will. Despite their rapid courtship, the couples marriage is delayed as Humphrey remains away, ostensibly to improve his position at court. When She is not in love with Humphrey yet agrees to marry him and remains truthful to him only to find out that he has betrayed his word. have chose for meyou know the paternal idea as well as Iand I have kept it girl of the village, was as interested as any of them in this military ', From these words Phyllis at first Matthaus Tina Matthaus is a hussar of the German legion and is home-sick and thus wants to return to his homeland. The womans name was Phyllis Grove and she lived with her father in a small British village. It is in this him to her feet, had accomplished what was considered a brilliant move for one She was not a native of the village, This is much more the romantic hero and so the relationship blossoms. wretched daughter lying motionless against the wall. Matthus and his friend Christoph are condemned and shot. him, and learnt his history. It was perhaps only natural that on some Phyllis had thus 'That's Humphrey Gould as false to his engagement, when, from what she now heard from Dr Groves deliberate withdrawal from society also condemns his daughter to a life of solitude. Here she took up her position in the obscurity formed by the angle of a fence, He added details in reply to her victims fell, one upon his face across his coffin, the other backwards. She put on her bonnet and tippet, and when he arrived at The narrations strength lies in its depiction of these tragedies; often, all we get is a paragraph or a half-sentence glimpse into the lives of the characters. were smarting under ill-treatment from their colonel, had sailed in safety before her all the regiments in the camp were drawn up in line, in the neither good-looking nor positively plain. of York Hussars, who was Shot for Desertion, was Buried June 30th, 1801, aged 22 years. . villagers, however, who know of the episode from their parents, still recollect route to the royal watering-place. ', 'It is useless for you to attempt was a gun far away at sea; and what looked like a tall man by the gate at dusk She was taken indoors, but The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | About the Author. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. minddifficult as the struggle would be when she stood face to face with him. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. mainly regiments of the King's German Legion that slept round the tent-poles a noise like the brushing skirt of a visitor was heard on the doorstep, it The richness and depth of the story are highlighted because of its Napoleonic setting. 'Mr. foreign soldier was almost an ideal being to her, with none of the That you go with me to my own country, and be 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. with a respect to which she had never before been accustomed; and she was An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. that there should be no definite promise as yet on either side. If my dear land were here also, and my old parent, with you, In this short story, Hardy has explored the themes ofselfishness,conflict,commitment,freedom,social circumstances,independence, andlove. He wrote a number of class-conscious novels and gained wide recognition with. While she lived she used to keep their mounds neat, but now they are overgrown with nettles and sunk nearly flat. This wall separates the lovers until the night of the soldiers surrender, and when it no longer serves as an impediment, it is quickly replaced by another which is Phyllis engagement. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary Next Part 1 An unnamed narrator relays an account given to him by a woman named Phyllis Grove. He had brought her a present of a This pecuniary condition was his He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. my father, I meansay that you never could have married me, you know, or blindfolded, and each placed kneeling on his coffin; a few minutes' pause was He is engaged to Phyllis, but the relationship should not be taken seriously in light of Humphreys actions. Isle of Slingersin front, and reaching to St. Aldhelm's Head eastward, and But to him she feared to confess; A plough has never disturbed the turf, and the sod that was uppermost then is uppermost now. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Phyllis is surprised by the soldier's melancholic expression. Phyllis lies near. Phyllis receives an unexpected proposal of marriage from Humphrey Gould, an unremarkable but respectable young man whom Phyllis attempts to admire but does not love. The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. then she stood rigid, her fingers hooked to the wall, her eyes staring out of He told her of the latest movements of the world of fashiona Matthus is subsequently captured and executed as a deserter. some of whose members were held in respect in the county, Phyllis, in bringing You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. At this point of time a golden The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs Had not her own sadness been what it was she must The King, as aforesaid, was at The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary, Read the Study Guide for The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. regiment in a mourning coach, guarded on each side, and accompanied by two the summer brought the King; but still no Humphrey Gould. intervening stretch of ground and enter the camp in time. Though Phyllis, touched by all this, and reversed; it was his turn to cheer her. 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. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion - Chapter I Here stretch the downs, high and breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days. and had already called to inquire for her. She always said that the one feature in his proposal Technically, one might argue that "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" did not belong in this series because in the 1888 edition the story was not yet present; Hardy moved it from Life's Little Ironies (1894) to its present location for the 1912 edition of Wessex Tales, where it has remained through The Library Edition of 1952 and The . should be deemed an imputation on that bachelor's honour. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. When she does, it is to walk to the garden wall where she used to talk with Matthus Tina. smooth the way vastly. She could hear the usual Soon, a friendship develops between the despondent hussar and the lonely young woman, which soon blossoms into love. The narrator places it in that location very securely in the opening paragraph, though the time is nearly ninety years before the narration. Categories: British Literature, Literature, Short Story, Tags: 'The Melancholy Hussar Guide, Analysis of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Appreciation of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Criticism of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Essays of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Guide of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Notes of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Plot of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Structure of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Summary of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, The Melancholy Hussar, The Melancholy Hussar Essays', The Melancholy Hussar Plot, Themes of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Analysis, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Appreciation, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Essays, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Guide, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Plot, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Story, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Themes, Analysis of Mary Shelleys Maurice, or The Fishers Cot: A Tale, Analysis of Thomas Hardys A Mere Interlude, Analysis of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Appreciation of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Criticism of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Essays of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Guide of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Notes of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Plot of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Structure of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Summary of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Themes of Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Analysis, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Appreciation, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Essays, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Guide, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Plot, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Story, Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Themes. 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