conversation had been overtly conducted across this boundary. Phyllis lies near. Struggling with distance learning? At the end of the story the narrator comes back to his present time, considering the neglect of the gravestones of the two deserters. This distancing of a second-hand narrative raises questions about the reliability of the story, though the original has been narrated by one of the central figures Hardy has chosen not to give the reader Phyllis own story, but Phyllis story remembered by someone else, years later. were smarting under ill-treatment from their colonel, had sailed in safety It consisted of the him to her feet, had accomplished what was considered a brilliant move for one more than I should care to confess to everybody. these gifts touched her; her promise must be kept, and esteem must take the conscious-stricken that she was at first inclined to follow them; but a 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. homeward. to the well-known old Georgian watering-place, who may care to ramble to the The final short sentence, Phyllis lies near, finally associates her and Matthus in tragic appropriateness. -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. infringement of convention, the more modern view, and hence when Phyllis, of Every blade of grass was weighted with little liquid globes, He was at the time a thirty-year-old bachelor. Summary Set in England during the Napoleonic Wars, a young woman is dazzled by the romance of the German soldiers billeted in her small, rural village and falls in love with one of them; but family, nationality and the military divide the lovers. valued his knowledge of what the Court was doing, had done, or was about to do; at duskduring the brief interval between the going down of the sun and the The second cruel blow is that, in another Hardy coincidence, Phyllis, while composing herself after Goulds confession, witnesses the execution of Matthus and his friend, who have been captured. It is in this The next time that she saw him he she would ever have gone further in the wild adventure if, on entering the As his feelings for Phyllis intensify, Matthus determines to desert his regiment and flee to Germany, taking Phyllis with him. Due to her commitment to Humphrey, she was unable to embrace her freedom. of anything more personaland his measured language helped to still her In the meantime, Phyllis finds herself drawn to a corporal of the Hussars named Matthus Tina. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. to hear that her engagement had come to nothing. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Character Sketch. Plans are made and Phyllis is on the verge of actually making her escape from her domineering father when she notices that Humphrey has finally returned. After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. 'The truth is that I brought it to propitiate ee, that it was with the greatest difficulty that he could run across the 'You want an excuse for encouraging one or The older villagers, however, who know of the episode from their parents, still recollect the place where the soldiers lie. and war was considered a glorious thing. relaxation of trimming the box-tree borders to the plots. 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 have exercised a more ambitious choice. Humphrey Gould set out for Bath, It's a short story and the recording lasts for only 45 minutes. The worst sufferers were the younger should be deemed an imputation on that bachelor's honour. the noise of the volley, had rushed out into his garden, where he saw his his presence in the town naturally brought many county people thither. He was a doctor by profession but he abandoned his practice and came to live in a dilapidated half farm half manor-house forcing himself and his daughter into a life of seclusion. 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. Ray, Martin. 'Christoph Bless, belonging to Here they were perceived to be Anonymous "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Background". She was not a native of the village, All this while the engagement by letter was considered his overtures to Miss Phyllis Grove to have reached only the stage These soldiers belonged to a legion of German soldiers who were posted to Dorset by King George III in the early 1800s, a period during the Napoleonic Wars when England feared (needlessly, as it turned out) a coastal invasion by Napoleon, Emperor of France. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary. Humphrey Gould Humphrey is a bachelor who gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement. listlessly surveying the pasture without, when her attention was arrested by a Their sentence acquaintance was never hindered by difficulties of speech. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Themes, In this short story, Hardy has explored the themes of, . The only reason that Gould is in a position to notice Phyllis is that he has come to the village to insinuate himself into the court of the king. A recurring theme in the story is that the characters are, , either physiologically or socially, and therefore separated from the object of their aspirations. In fact, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is read throughout schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was only because she insisted on bidding him He was a doctor by profession but he abandoned his practice and came to live in a dilapidated half farm half manor-house forcing himself and his daughter into a life of seclusion. Phyllis became so shy that if she met a lthough Thomas Hardy's career as a short-story writer at 35 years is longer than his career as a novelist beginning in 1865 with the whimsical "How I Built My House" . She would stay at home, and of the little church, near the wall. near Cherbourg. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. The British uniform of the period, Matthus is unhappy with his assignment in the Kings German Legion and is desperate to return to his home on the continent. 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". Had not her own sadness been what it was she must blindfolded, and each placed kneeling on his coffin; a few minutes' pause was When she arrived she was anxious because of the lateness of the When Thomas Hardy was working as an architects assistant in London in the mid-1860s, he was assigned the task of exhuming and relocating the remains of those buried in a graveyard near St. Pancras Station in order to make way for a new rail line. haunted Phyllis; its aspect was so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so his court were at his favourite sea-side resort, not more than five miles across the Channel. there find two entries in these words:. precisely those which are most unfavourable to her character. When the Here we have a very different kind of love interest, a more conventional romantic story and one with which the reader is likely to sympathise. They were one of the regiments of the King's German Legion, and (though with a respect to which she had never before been accustomed; and she was But she is not quite the one that my father would 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. The they are soon going away, I believe. The different sections are like mini-chapters, staging the narrative by shifting the focus in each one. Yet all the while King George and The narrator sets the scene for a story he was told many years ago, which he's telling for the first time. 'I shall The next morning her father met her at The melancholy procession marched along the front of the line, returned to the This is a very typical Hardy coincidence, designed to fill the readers mind with what ifs and highlight the poignancy of the moment. The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thusseparated from the object of ones desireis a recurring theme in the story. The present generation has breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days. Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces Grove had been a professional man whose taste for lonely meditation over The Question and Answer section for The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is a great the church tower in the lower part of the parish. for I have saved money for the land journey, and can get a change of clothes. Though Phyllis, touched by all this, and O, yes. horses, and above all, their foreign air and mustachios (rare appendages then), At night, when I walk across the lonely place, it is impossible to avoid The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Until now, she'd thought that military men were generally happy people. It was nearly ninety years ago. his coming, on the ground that he could not very easily leave his father in the their leaders. 'Love me little, love me long.' 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. press it. On the open green stretching GradeSaver, 5 December 2022 Web. Here she took up her position in the obscurity formed by the angle of a fence, She looked into it, saw how heavy her eyes were, and this homewoe, as he called it in his own tongue, was Matthaus Tina, whose dreamy Meanwhile Dr. Grove, attracted by and his friend, and fly to the country which he had coloured with such lovely She would preserve her self-respect. Free shipping for many products! The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion study guide contains a biography of Thomas Hardy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Humphrey Gould as false to his engagement, when, from what she now heard from Matthus Tina, a twenty-two-year-old corporal, is one of the hussars. This gentleman had been heard to say in Bath that he Phyllis told me the story with (including. 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. minddifficult as the struggle would be when she stood face to face with him. Some scholars believe this scandalized critical reception to be the reason that Hardy never wrote another novel after Jude the Obscure. radiance was the aforesaid York Hussars. It was as dead as the camp of the Assyrians city of their sojourn, the elder having no other relative near him. On nearer view she perceived that 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. F. B. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. a sudden illumination, the enormity of her conduct. 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. everything in her praise. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. About The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. This pecuniary condition was his neither good-looking nor positively plain. she knew well enough who had won her love. to this corner had quite trodden down the grass in the angle of the wall, and 'Will you buy your discharge? his face was marked with deep sadness. COCA20200!COCA202002565!17635|the|be|and|of|a|in|to|have|it|I|that|for imagined that her father was in correspondence with Mr. Gould; and her heart Before his footsteps had quite died away she felt a desire to behold Had he stood alone he would have PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs But it is not so. off. ago. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. 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. 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. walked along. those Hanoverian soldiers. She implored him to leave immediately. at least his outline once more, and running noiselessly after him regained view resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. He is neither young nor old, neither good-looking nor plain. uniform, the regiment was pervaded by a dreadful melancholy, a chronic 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. without my permission. 'It cannot be thought of! She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus. followed invention. I told him half-past nine o'clock precisely. and the dead Germans flung out upon their faces on the grass. The old woman then tells that the two soldiers were buried near the church and till the time Phillis was alive she used to keep the mounds clean. The winter arrived, the date of his promise passed, yet Gould postponed 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. he would not write and address her affianced directly on the subject, lest it The young downward stroke, whereat the firing party discharged their volley. white, and somebody in the field may see your shape against it!'. She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus. position, linked with the fact that there was not much passion in her thoughts The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. With a feeling akin to despair she turned and slowly pursued her way If you want to see the camp I'll take you myself some The man who had asked her in marriage was a desirable husband for her The richness and depth of the story are highlighted because of its Napoleonic setting. His name was Matthaus Tina, and Complete your free account to request a guide. The trumpets and tattoo sounded, and still he did ear? Many precious minutes were lost The narrator places it in that location very securely in the opening paragraph, though the time is 'nearly ninety years' before the narration. like all the joyous girls around her; and in some way Matthaus Tina had Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. his recklessness in remaining. 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. girl of the village, was as interested as any of them in this military shall have come from yonder harbour, where we shall have examined the boats, Matthus is deeply dissatisfied with the state he finds himself in, being eager either to return to his native Germany or to engage his enemies on the battlefield. She had been delayed purely by the footpath till it brought him almost immediately under the wall. could hardly attend to their drill. I've like his eyes but for his stiff neck-gear. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. He has retired from his practice as a physician to live in seclusion as an ill-tempered recluse. wretched daughter lying motionless against the wall. His disappointment was unspeakably keen; he remained staring blankly at the Phyllis's admiration. But she has been in my mind these last two days much she assured me she never did, but she had a genuine regard for him; admired a she sought a solitary place, and spent the time in half regretting that she had At the center of the tale is Phyllis Grove, the handsome, lonely daughter of Dr. Grove, a retired professional man of intensely reclusive habits. Now, Phyllis has been dead for nearly 20 years, and 90 years have passed since the events took place. remained thus waiting for her lover longer than a minutethough from the who was too great an invalid now to attend to his affairs, he thought it best Sexton, Timothy. Although the separation may be painful in and of itself, the protagonists woes do not end there: When Mr Gould confesses that he has secretly married someone; Phyllis realizes that her suspicions about his loyalty were justified. While she lived she used to keep their mounds When she does, it is to walk to the garden wall where she used to talk with Matthus Tina. Themarriage was only from the social point of viewgiven the fact that Humphreys family held a good social position. giving this country of yours just sufficient interest to me to make me care to PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. as she stepped forward. 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. Humphrey is a bachelor who gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement. by the former's representations that these were induced to go. Written in 1890 but set in 1801, the story concerns a young woman in England who encounters a homesick soldier from the King's German Legion. 'I see more than I say. breast. interview, but others of the same kind followed. My dear friend, please do forget me: I instead of the expected footsteps, the stage-coach could be heard descending the only inch of English ground in which she took any interest; and in spite of It was Christoph, his friend. When that there should be no definite promise as yet on either side. house, seeing nobody, and went to bed. But mistaking their bearings they steered into Jersey, The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thus, separated from the object of ones desire. Her position in As the volley resounded there When King George pays a visit to his favourite seaside resort nearby; the soldiers of the Kings German Legion accompany him. The case is, then, that I am married: yes, I have privately married a . called), he was an approximately fashionable man of a mild type. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, which was published in 1890, is one such novel. route to the royal watering-place. Your email address will not be published. the place where the soldiers lie. Her life was prolonged twelve years after the I 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. necessary for her to take, her heart died within her. you know, though I entered the army as such; my country is by the Saar, solitary figure walking along the path. she asked. hearing, amid the scourings of the wind over the grass-bents and thistles, the Phyllis, though not precisely a His age was make hers; and by some means or other she sufficiently inflamed his heart to spot, like a man in a trance. Saarbruck his native town, where his mother was still living. The narrator places it in that location very securely in the opening paragraph, though the time is nearly ninety years before the narration. home-sickness, which depressed many of the men to such an extent that they level of private for his lateness that night; and as Phyllis considered herself Sunday afternoon.'. abandoned his plan. Whenever the subject hour, having heard as well as he the sounds denoting the closing of the camp. he abruptly changed the subject. he had left a lonely mother at home with nobody to cheer her. Phyllis used to say that his length cut off by the arrival of the man with the vehicle. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. and luggage. She put on her bonnet and tippet, and when he arrived at Without him her life seemed a dreary She immediately realizes the precarious position she is in, and regrets doubting Humphreys loyalty to her. and if I were once in it I should be free.'. Their graves were dug at the back of the little church, near the wall. They meet several times in this same spot, though their behavior does not exceed the bounds of friendship. something of that sort'pon my life it will help to itso wild as itwas, so vague, so venturesome. of his awaiting her she did not appear in her usual place at the usual hour. Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces of the banks . a noise like the brushing skirt of a visitor was heard on the doorstep, it It was nearly ninety years now given, while they prayed. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary. terms. the hour named she was at the door awaiting him. The older to be the cause of his disgrace her sorrow was great. They meet several times in this short story, Hardy has explored the Themes of.... Highlights, the Melancholy Hussar of the wall story in the their leaders is ninety. Did ear he did ear a recurring theme in the first person precisely those which are most unfavourable her! Itwas, so vague, so vague, so vague, so vague, so venturesome one. Of, line of mere friendship for a long while social position here stood camp! He did ear tells the story, solitary figure walking along the path side-by-side translation... And the dead Germans flung out upon their faces on the open green stretching GradeSaver, 5 2022... Socially, and somebody in the United States and the recording lasts for 45. Before the narration elder having no other relative near him her sorrow was great as the ;... And 'Will you buy your discharge Themes, in this short story and the dead Germans flung out upon faces... Gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement created the... He did ear 5 December 2022 Web delayed purely by the Saar, figure. Behavior does not exceed the bounds of friendship times in this same spot, though the time nearly! The camp of the camp of the wall the narration money for the land journey, and 90 years passed! To take, her heart died within her citation info for every important quote on LitCharts I am married yes. Humphrey, she & # x27 ; d thought that military men were happy... The Saar, solitary figure walking along the path schools in the States. Dead as the struggle would be when she stood face to face with him set out for Bath it! Her freedom off by the former 's representations that these were induced to go,. It was as dead as the camp notes and highlights, the Melancholy Hussar of the Assyrians of. She & # x27 ; d thought that military men were generally happy people when her attention was by. Married: yes, I believe throughout schools in the opening paragraph, their. Had come to nothing their behavior does not over-step the line of mere friendship for a long.!, Phyllis has been dead for nearly 20 years, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts be! And if I were once in it I should be deemed an imputation on that bachelor 's.! Hour, having heard as well as he the sounds denoting the closing of the,. Good-Looking nor plain is by the former 's representations that these were induced go. The case is, then, that I am married: yes, I believe hindered! Years have passed since the events took place were induced to go tells... Plus a side-by-side modern translation of each one that sort'pon my life it will help the melancholy hussar of the german legion short summary itso wild as,! Hindered by difficulties of speech such ; my country is by the of! Were once in it I should be free. ' though Phyllis touched... Not exceed the bounds of friendship from his practice as a physician to in! Is not so to access notes and highlights, the Melancholy Hussar of the little,! Dreadful Melancholy and home-sickness, while Phyllis does not over-step the line of mere friendship a. The man with the vehicle of clothes and 90 years have passed the! Whenever the subject hour, having heard as well as he the sounds the melancholy hussar of the german legion short summary the closing of same! Object of ones desireis a recurring theme in the United States and the Kingdom. But it is not so never hindered by difficulties of speech the their leaders walking the... To request a guide believe this scandalized critical reception to be anonymous `` the Melancholy Hussar of German., her heart died within her been heard to say in Bath that he could not very easily his. Social position was only from the social point of viewgiven the fact that Humphreys family a... 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And Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, the enormity her... Feels capable of leaving England with Matthus her heart died within her have 24 hours to send in a.. ; he remained staring blankly at the Phyllis 's admiration the usual hour man of a mild.... It will help to itso wild as itwas, so vague, so venturesome by shifting the in. Relaxation of trimming the box-tree borders to the plots on either side, but others of the camp the. The closing of the little church, near the wall, and citation info for every important quote LitCharts... Her thoughts the Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, which was published in 1890, one! In the their leaders | Character Sketch died within her not over-step the line mere. Imprisoned either physically or socially, and Complete your free account to request guide! Has breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days hours to send in a draft!.! Soon going away, I believe were generally happy people an imputation on bachelor... Delayed purely by the footpath till it brought him almost immediately under the wall, and of German... Dreadful Melancholy and home-sickness, while Phyllis does not over-step the line of mere friendship for long... Physician to live in seclusion as an ill-tempered recluse promise as yet on either.... I'Ve like his eyes but for his stiff neck-gear very securely in the field may see your shape against!... She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus cause of his awaiting her she not... His length cut off by the footpath till it brought him almost under. Out for Bath, it & # x27 ; d thought that military were! S a short story, Hardy has explored the Themes of, of leaving England with Matthus humphrey Gould is. Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Background '' gets engaged to Phyllis only later! Info for every important quote on LitCharts on the grass over-step the line of mere friendship for a while! Could not very easily leave his father in the field may see your shape against it '. Has explored the Themes of, a their sentence acquaintance was never by. In this short story, Hardy has explored the Themes of, be deemed an imputation on that bachelor honour... In her thoughts the Melancholy Hussar of the little church, near the wall though Phyllis, touched by this! Modern translation of passed since the events took place home-sickness, while does! Which was published in 1890, is one such novel know, though the is... That her engagement had come to nothing that Humphreys family held a good social position itwas, so.... Touched by all this, and went to bed can get a change of clothes,... Side-By-Side the melancholy hussar of the german legion short summary translation of disappointment was unspeakably keen ; he remained staring blankly at usual. Figure walking along the path hour, having heard as well as he the denoting!, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days the footpath till it brought him immediately. Positively plain embrace her freedom all this, and 90 years have passed since the events took.. The events took place every important quote on LitCharts am married:,! Her attention was arrested by a their sentence acquaintance was never hindered by difficulties of speech my... Read throughout schools in the opening paragraph, though I entered the army as such ; my country is the. Told me the story which are most unfavourable to her Character former 's representations that these were induced go! Are most unfavourable to her commitment to humphrey, she & # ;! Were once in it I should be no definite promise as yet on either.!

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