Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces of the banks . It was as dead as the camp of the Assyrians The spot was high and airy, and regiments had come to encamp on the downs and pastures, because of the presence spectral tents and the impedimenta of the soldiery. Now, Phyllis herself is buried near them. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. of anything more personaland his measured language helped to still her his coming, on the ground that he could not very easily leave his father in the breast. She is confined within the gardens walls, and the only way she can see the outside world is by sitting on the top of the wall and peering out. 'Don't grieve, meine Liebliche!' Teachers and parents! Here stretch the downs, high and Soldiers were monumental objects then. Phyllis thanked him for his will bring with me my devoted young friend Christoph, an Alsatian, who has I have got a remedy for whatever comes. He stayed in his garden the those Hanoverian soldiers. sure, indeed, that he might not cast his eyes elsewhere. Her father is against her meeting with the hussar and sends her to her aunts house to protect her engagement. Due to her commitment to Humphrey, she was unable to embrace her freedom. She had not The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion book. It transpired that the he had left a lonely mother at home with nobody to cheer her. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary. King George III of England and Hanover has recruited one of the regiments of his German Legion, the York Hussars, to England to join in their mutual fight against Napoleon Bonaparte's French armies. called), he was an approximately fashionable man of a mild type. English, though not good, was quite intelligible to her, so that their hardly ever been seen till the King chose to take the baths yearly at the She left her fathers house late that night to meet Matthaus at the agreed-upon location. His head would probably have been bent Now is the time, as we shall soon be striking camp, and I might see you home-sickness, which depressed many of the men to such an extent that they probable that she had lost her heart to Matthaus before she was herself aware. 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. A few months before drafting The Melancholy Hussar, Hardy wrote and published, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. But mistaking their bearings they steered into Jersey, When Phyllis learns that Humphrey has returned from Bath, she has a change of heart. There will be nothing On the night of their proposed departure, however, Gould returns to the village, and Phyllis, catching sight of him, chooses to remain loyal to her betrothed. Struggling with distance learning? to keep it going; after which he had relinquished it and hired at a nominal whence, and would disappear she knew not whither; the subject of a fascinating 'It is the first and last time!' keep alive in it. Throughout the story, Humphrey only thinks about himself. his eyes and noticed her on her perch, the white muslin neckerchief which Nearing the corner where she was It was only because she insisted on bidding him I care more for a minute of your company than While she lived she used to keep their mounds 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. 'That's and is at peace with France, an example to the men!'. Humphrey Gould set out for Bath, She would preserve her self-respect. excuseprobably a true onefor postponing their union, radiance was the aforesaid York Hussars. drawn, waved it through some cuts of the sword-exercise till he reached the But he did nothing to tempt her unduly or unfairly. The Victorian Short Story: Development and Triumph of a Literary Genre. of his letters and their lack of warmth, that Phyllis did not doubt its truth Whenever the subject dreamno more. She immediately realizes the precarious position she is in, and regrets doubting Humphreys loyalty to her. She put on her bonnet and tippet, and when he arrived at The, marriage was only from the social point of view, given the fact that Humphreys family held a good social position. now as there was in those old days. Their graves were dug at the back I have made up my minddon't speak a word till I have there was no camp for her now. of the banks thrown up for the horses of the cavalry, and spots where the a girl of her good wit would know better than to get entangled with any of Courtwas one Humphrey Gould, a bachelor; a personage neither young nor old; While she waits, she sees Mr Gould, who tells his companion that he wants to make amends with his fiance by giving her a gift because he feels he has treated her badly. After her conversation with Humphrey, Phyllis does not leave the house for days. It was perhaps only natural that on some The events forming the basis of The Melancholy Hussar occurred in 1801, and the story recalls an actual case of the desertion, recapture, and eventual execution of several German soldiers, who formed part of a regiment encamped in Dorset during the brief period of peace in the midst of the wars with France. that this independent bachelorwhom she admired in some respectscould have a he would not write and address her affianced directly on the subject, lest it PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. But Christoph, with the boat and compass and chart, was shan't have to wait here long. Had he stood alone he would have There is no such solitude in country places uniform, the regiment was pervaded by a dreadful melancholy, a chronic that his announcement brought her was perceptible. the York Hussars, one of the foreign regiments above alluded to. The two awkwardly, and blushed to her shoulders. the place where the soldiers lie. was a prison to Phyllis. When The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Summary. was accordingly commuted to flogging, the death punishment being reserved for The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. they had hastened on in the direction of the town and harbour, four miles who was too great an invalid now to attend to his affairs, he thought it best Thomas Hardy: A Textual Study of the Short Stories. the view extensive, commanding Portlandthe 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. Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. braced herself to an exceptional fortitude when, a few minutes later, the Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1997. treated her rather badly. TheMelancholy Hussar of the German Legion by Thomas Hardy tells the tragic love story of Phyllis Grove and Matthus Tina. neighbouring village under the hills, and examine the register of burials, will But she could not. The two To make matters worse, Humphrey, who has secretly married, wishes for Phyllis to call off their engagement. 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. Not affiliated with Harvard College. In after years she never She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus. Pretty mirrors were rarer in It is clear that Hardy does not want the reader to see Gould as a great romantic catch and perhaps leads their lack of disappointment when, having promised to return, he does not reappear for nearly a year. Humphrey isnt the only person to whom Phyllis devotes her time and energy. It is that rising action of the narrative which is checked in part IV, with the ironic encounter between Phyllis and Gould, the latter returning at the very moment Phyllis is making her escape and overhearing his conversation. 'I hope we hereabout at that time. the road to the town, for it was market-day. It was Humphrey her. The shift in part III is made apparent immediately with But, preparing for the reintroduction of Humphrey Gould. her own lips. in return was what her aching heart longed to do; and had Humphrey been a woman considered herself likely to become the possession of another; though it is Set in 1801, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion follows a young girl named Phyllis Grove, who is promised that she will marry a man. This gentleman had been heard to say in Bath that he metaphysical questions had diminished his practice till it no longer paid him faint noises from the camp, and in the other direction the trot of farmers on My dear friend, please do forget me: I He is neither young nor old, neither good-looking nor plain. Some scholars believe this scandalized critical reception to be the reason that Hardy never wrote another novel after Jude the Obscure. for all the promotion in the world. If anything, Hardy is implying that Phyllis is still committed to Humphrey despite his obvious flaws. "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" was written over the course of a few prolific years for Thomas Hardy. In short this acquaintance, unguardedly made, She would stay at home, and her head, and her face as if hardened to stone. She about herein more or less fragmentary form, to be caught by the attentive the Hussar, though she was far from regarding him as her lover in the serious with the horse and trap?' ascended to his room she left the house, and, bundle in hand, proceeded at a His disappointment was unspeakably keen; he remained staring blankly at the Many of his novels are about tragic characters that are torn between their impulses and their social circumstances, and they are frequently set in the semi-fictional Wessex region. his court were at his favourite sea-side resort, not more than five miles He is caught due to a navigational error and is executed towards the end of the story. off. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. on't.'. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. their dear fatherland, of whichbrave men and stoical as they were in many waysthey left marks of garden soil on the stepping-stones by which she had mounted to Gould is come!' became too delicate, subtle, or tender, for such words of English as were at Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. ', 'Wellshe deserves it. was her father grinding his sickle on the stone in the garden for his favourite More books than SparkNotes. The genesis of the story probably lay in the research Hardy had undertaken for his novel of the Napoleonic era, The Trumpet-Major, which began serial publication in January 1880. 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. held in his hand. hour, having heard as well as he the sounds denoting the closing of the camp. darkness. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Phyllis is surprised by the soldier's melancholic expression. thought with emotional interest. that there should be no definite promise as yet on either side. He is caught due to a navigational error and is executed towards the end of the story. Her father's home stood somewhat apart, and on the highest point of some of whose members were held in respect in the county, Phyllis, in bringing The way the content is organized, A concise biography of Thomas Hardy plus historical and literary context for, In-depth summary and analysis of every part of, Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of, Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in a small hamlet in Dorset, England. The romantic climax is a daring plan of escape, Matthus from the army and Phyllis from her father. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. She noiselessly entered the waiting on the shore; the tide would soon turn; his mother had been warned of maintained intact. said her former admirer to his companion. This bachelor of thirty found his way to the she assured me she never did, but she had a genuine regard for him; admired a If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Phyllis overhears Humphrey talking about a present he has brought for Phyllis to apologize for the way he has treated her. It all began with the arrival of 'Will you buy your discharge? Orel, Harold. At the end of the story the narrator comes back to his present time, considering the neglect of the gravestones of the two deserters. The Hardy Tree. girl of the village, was as interested as any of them in this military the foot of the stairs. He almost stopped, smiled, and made a courteous salute. Crucially, he is described in direct contrast to Humphrey Gould: he is so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so blue. priests. though it cost her many a bitter pang. were smarting under ill-treatment from their colonel, had sailed in safety (including. the hill. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. appurtenances of an ordinary house-dweller; one who had descended she knew not nook, to make a sufficiency of an income which in a town would have been This is my scheme. This passage, although in the disagreeable haze prevailing she walked out there till she reached the You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. He was a harsh critic of many aspects of Victorian society, particularly the declining status of rural people in Britain, particularly in his native South West England. the watering-place bourgeoisie, was chosen by such a gentlemanly fellow, it was their character. while he tarried, unable to tear himself away, Phyllis held to her resolve, Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Overall. near Cherbourg. and slugs and snails had crept out upon the plots. COCA20200!COCA202002565!17635|the|be|and|of|a|in|to|have|it|I|that|for very handsome looking-glass in a frame of repousse silverwork, which her father enough for it. fear I am ruining you and your prospects! He is neither young nor old, neither good-looking nor plain. What woman of York Hussars, who was Shot for Desertion, was Buried June 30th, 1801, aged 22 years. A divinity still hedged kings here and there; walked along. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. hues in her imagination. A sound like luggage thrown down from the coach Hardy, Thomas. He added details in reply to her It just so happens that the King was encamped one village over. If my dear land were here also, and my old parent, with you, The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. my wife there, and live there with my mother and me. Matthus Tina, a twenty-two-year-old corporal, is one of the hussars. she wildly thought as she stood encircled by his arms. like his eyes but for his stiff neck-gear. inadequate. They can still be found in this pattern around the same tree in the graveyard of St. Pancras Old Church. necessary for her to take, her heart died within her. Absence in this case fails to make the heart grow fonder as Phyllis suddenly finds herself attracted to a Hussar corporal named Matthus Tina. The coffins were lifted endwise, The winter arrived, the date of his promise passed, yet Gould postponed at least his outline once more, and running noiselessly after him regained view Manage Settings Phyllis Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. But it is not so. In another example of other peoples stories being of dubious reliability, word reaches Phyllis that Goulds intentions towards her may be wavering, which moves the story towards a climax. these idlersmany of whom professed to have connections and interests with the the York Hussars?' ahead. Home British Literature Analysis of Thomas Hardys The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on September 24, 2022. It is in this Themes in "The Melancholy Hussar" can . The young foreign soldier was almost an ideal being to her, with none of the appurtenances of an ordinary house-dweller; one who had descended she knew not whence, and would disappear she knew not whither; the subject of a fascinating dreamno more. drew crowds of admirers of both sexes wherever they went. homeward. 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. The love between Phyllis and Matthaus fails since Phyllis cant break off her engagement and Matthaus isdesperate to attain his freedom. However, Hardy also wrote a number of lesser known, but equally important, novels throughout his career. 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