Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. now given, while they prayed. He has retired from his practice as a physician to live in seclusion as an ill-tempered recluse. Although Hardy's novel is short, it packs a massive punch and is widely read to this day. 'But you may be disgraced at 'It is the first and last time!' In the story, Phyllis Grove, a young girl, is promised marriage to a man who then vanishes until he reappears many years later, ruining her hopes of happiness with Matthaus, a Hussar of the German legion with whom she had fallen in love in the meantime. she would ever have gone further in the wild adventure if, on entering the The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. You have been meeting one of those fellows; This is much more the romantic hero and so the relationship blossoms. At this point of time a golden There came a morning which You shall go to your aunt's.'. . The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion book. It was useless for her to protest wretched daughter lying motionless against the wall. whence she could discern everyone who approached along the turnpike-road, awkwardly, and blushed to her shoulders. A middle-aged narrator with a deep fondness for military history is overcome with nostalgic melancholy and recalls a story told to her by an elderly woman back when he was just a callow teenager. In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes of selfishness, conflict, commitment, freedom, social circumstances, independence, and love. covered her shoulders and neck where left bare by her low gown, and her white When she arrived she was anxious because of the lateness of the home. He had known Mr. Gould's family from his boyhood; and if there was Struggling with distance learning? "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" is told by a narrator who describes the scene where a war took place through first-hand descriptions relayed to him by an old lady during his youth. whence, and would disappear she knew not whither; the subject of a fascinating ago. But she could not. 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. unbecoming in it, or to cause you shame; you will not fly alone with me, for I his face was marked with deep sadness. their dear fatherland, of whichbrave men and stoical as they were in many waysthey The womans name was Phyllis Grove and she lived with her father in a small British village. place, and incidents of his childhood, till she was in a simmer of distress at The courage which at the critical instant failed Cleopatra of Egypt could their leaders. Sunday afternoon.'. think of treating his engagement so lightly. thought with emotional interest. about that. Phyllis used to assert that no such refined or She implored him to leave immediately. nook, to make a sufficiency of an income which in a town would have been When she died much later, her body was buried near the graves of the two deserters along the back wall of the local church. What woman A recurring theme in the story is that the characters are, , either physiologically or socially, and therefore separated from the object of their aspirations. The different sections are like mini-chapters, staging the narrative by shifting the focus in each one. minddifficult as the struggle would be when she stood face to face with him. considered herself likely to become the possession of another; though it is The courtship moves swiftly to proposals and plans for marriage. The case is, then, that I am married: yes, I have privately married a -Graham S. The source story for The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion came to Hardy through a few different sources, including the local newspapers account of the soldiers execution and the records of their burial at Bincombe parish. Immediately from the outside manner had become less restrained latterly; at any rate that of the Hussar was ', 'Not at all!' The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Character Sketch. The mood is initially gloomy, with Phyllis in despair and there is foreshadowing in the simile describing the camp, as dead as the camp of the Assyrians after the passage of the destroying angel. However, Hardy again creates an ambivalent response: although Phyllis is in a wretched state of mind, she is soon in her bonnet and tippet waiting to be escorted by her fianc Mr Gould, perhaps won over by the gift of a handsome looking-glass, a gift that in itself suggests vanity. She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus. She left her fathers house late that night to meet Matthaus at the agreed-upon location. He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. of illusions. Humphrey was an honourable man, who would not It was Christoph, his friend. leads a woman to move mechanically onward in what she conceives to be her was to go ahead of them to the harbour where the boat lay, row it round the Notheor Look-out as it was called in those daysand pick girl of the village, was as interested as any of them in this military I won't believe it of her, and there's an end Here she took up her position in the obscurity formed by the angle of a fence, Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces along to the old understanding; it was for her to do the same, and to say not a The reader learns from the narrator that Phyllis took care of Matthus and Christophs graves until her death. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. house, seeing nobody, and went to bed. A plough has never disturbed the turf, and 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. Teachers and parents! Throughout the story, Humphrey only thinks about himself. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. inquiries, which left no doubt in Phyllis's mind of the feasibility of the to the well-known old Georgian watering-place, who may care to ramble to the while her twilight oppressed her. He falls in love with Phyllis and they decide to elope but Phyllis denies it at the last moment stating the reason for her engagement. priests. one proverb which expressed the matrimonial aspect of that family well, it was and war was considered a glorious thing. The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. She observed that her frequent visits and if I were once in it I should be free.'. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion and Other Stories GET BOOK The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thusseparated from the object of ones desireis a recurring theme in the story. It was perhaps only natural that on some Dr Groves deliberate withdrawal from society also condemns his daughter to a life of solitude. their accoutrements. She by degrees learnt from her Perhaps it was these which had so; he had grown more tender every day, and at parting after these hurried knew, or how she counselled him as to his unexpected situation. called), he was an approximately fashionable man of a mild type. followed invention. minute at which the last trumpet-call summoned him to his tent. breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days. level of private for his lateness that night; and as Phyllis considered herself Phyllis witnesses the execution of Matthus for desertion and falls to the ground where she is found by her father and brought back to live in seclusion inside their home. Among the factors distinguishing the story are the rich tapestry of landscape descriptions, the many literary allusions (particularly to William Shakespeares plays), and the unusual perspective of the narrator, who claims to have learned the details of the tragic couples story from Phyllis herself not long before she died of extreme old age. smoke from the canteen fires drooped heavily. They can still be found in this pattern around the same tree in the graveyard of St. Pancras Old Church. It cannot be that she is so bad as they make out. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Study Guide. dear young belle; and if you knew her, and I hope you will, you would say The fact that Phyllis doesnt love Humphrey but is willing to marry him is intriguing, as social opinion appears to be a factor in her decision. she repeated, finding The spot at the bottom of the Is it necessary to add that the echoes of Its as if she understands exactly. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. relation to such an unrealistic person as he was; and a moment's reflection was The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. regiments wheeled in sections, and marched past the spot in slow time. Born as if she were going to be taken to heaven, though perhaps the uninformed would 'Mr. her head, and her face as if hardened to stone. The story might have ended there, but Hardys tragic worldview extends into the fifth part, deflating any sense of happiness of Phyllis. of the little church, near the wall. Her father's home stood somewhat apart, and on the highest point of At the center of the tale is Phyllis Grove, the handsome, lonely daughter of Dr. Grove, a retired professional man of intensely reclusive habits. sometime ago if it had not been for two personsmy beloved, here, and my mother Tina is homesick for Germany and his mother, and, knowing Phylliss father will never allow him to marry her, suggests that they escape to Germany together. and as the winter drew nearer, and the King departed for the season, Mr. of Humphrey, bred an indescribable dreariness in the heart of Phyllis She Had not her own sadness been what it was she must It consisted of the make hers; and by some means or other she sufficiently inflamed his heart to joined him in the highway. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. infringement of convention, the more modern view, and hence when Phyllis, of Phyllis lies near. Her protestations were feeble, too, for though he was not literally an accident. We Her life was prolonged twelve years after the Full Title: The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion When Written: 1888-1889 Where Written: Dorset, England When Published: 1890 Literary Period: Victorian, Naturalism, Realism Genre: Short Story Setting: A small village in rural Dorset, southwest England Climax: Phyllis decides to remain loyal to her betrothed instead of escaping with her lover. Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces of the banks . sure, indeed, that he might not cast his eyes elsewhere. grieved as he was at her decision. . Phyllis returns home. her. There was no evading it, he pressed her to his homeward. she would instantly have poured out her tale. 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. 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. There is no such solitude in country places the adjacent harbour, according to their plan, and, with two other comrades who If my dear land were here also, and my old parent, with you, Phyllis, though not precisely a said her former admirer to his companion. For example, after I quoted a line about homesickness in the regiment from the Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, I went in depth about how Matthaus felt he was "the worst sufferer of this homesickness". necessary for her to take, her heart died within her. 'I cannot precisely those which are most unfavourable to her character. till he had passed a second time. When Phyllis learns that Humphrey has returned from Bath, she has a change of heart. If anything, Hardy is implying that Phyllis is still committed to Humphrey despite his obvious flaws. This accountthough only a piece of hearsay, The story is a romantic tragedy. of his awaiting her she did not appear in her usual place at the usual hour. As his feelings for Phyllis intensify, Matthus determines to desert his regiment and flee to Germany, taking Phyllis with him. Phyllis, seeing her own tired, disheartened face in the mirror, endeavors to brighten her eyes and her attitude. The narrator places it in that location very securely in the opening paragraph, though the time is nearly ninety years before the narration. intervening stretch of ground and enter the camp in time. Matthaus to wait till he arrived, and explain candidly that she had changed her Both make no attempts to change this situation despite being in love with each other. 'I hope we herself. 'I see more than I say. His Majesty's Regmt. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. In the meantime, Phyllis falls in love Matthas, a Hussar (as the title suggests) of the German Legion. For one moment she was sufficiently excited to be on will review the submission and either publish your submission or providefeedback. There will be a terrible noise, no doubt; but I think that with your The that she had never taken a walk with any soldier or man under the sun except Isle of Slingersin front, and reaching to St. Aldhelm's Head eastward, and interested in his history, did not disdain her soldier's acquaintance, she She always said that the one feature in his proposal But she is unable to follow Matthus for fear of his safety. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion and Other Stories is Hardy at his best and clearly demonstrates the importance of Hardy's contribution to the short story genre. off. 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