[Gutenberg 2662] • Under the Greenwood Tree; Or, The Mellstock Quire / A Rural Painting of the Dutch School

Probably the best-loved, and certainly the happiest, of all Hardy's novels, *Under the Greenwood Tree* formed the foundation of his career as a writer and inaugurated the great series of Wessex novels.

The Mellstock rustics - among whom the romance of Dick Dewy is played out - provide some of Hardy's most memorable characters: from Leaf the simpleton to gamekeeper Day with his eloquent silences, to the singular Mrs Day - 'She d'belong to that class of womankind that become second wives; a rum class rather.'

The evocative power of this minor masterpieces derives from its being a vivid and authentic recreation of Hardy's own childhood environment. He modelled the villagers on people he had known intimately and their talk, full of observation and humour, is a constant delight.