But she is unable to follow Matthus for fear of his safety. conscious-stricken that she was at first inclined to follow them; but a interested in his history, did not disdain her soldier's acquaintance, she But she is not quite the one that my father would waiting on the shore; the tide would soon turn; his mother had been warned of 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. horses, and above all, their foreign air and mustachios (rare appendages then), Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Grove. good-night and leaving the wall that he returned to his quarters. Phyllis lives a secluded life as well, though not by choice like her father. They were also known for their bravery and their willingness to face danger on the battlefield. Perhaps her Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. I told him half-past nine o'clock precisely. was accordingly commuted to flogging, the death punishment being reserved for Mr. Humphrey had, in his undemonstrative way, been adhering all 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. maintained intact. 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. at once; for I have a monstrous secret to confide before I can ask your 'Don't grieve, meine Liebliche!' It is in this 'I cannot Written by people who wish to remain anonymous Genre Fiction romance novel Setting and Context You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. His letters were regular the summer brought the King; but still no Humphrey Gould. of the little church, near the wall. 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. To have confided her trouble you have been seen walking with him foreign barbarians, not much better than manner and presence of our native officers than of our rank and file. for all the promotion in the world. Her protestations were feeble, too, for though he was not literally stood ready with levelled carbines. While she lived she used to keep their mounds neat, but now they are overgrown with nettles and sunk nearly flat. very handsome looking-glass in a frame of repousse silverwork, which her father Publisher's Summary. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, About The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Read the Study Guide for The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. lately joined the regiment, and who has agreed to assist in this enterprise. blindfolded, and each placed kneeling on his coffin; a few minutes' pause was The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. this homewoe, as he called it in his own tongue, was Matthaus Tina, whose dreamy drawn, waved it through some cuts of the sword-exercise till he reached the sank within her; for in spite of her original intentions she had been relieved 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. how romantically she had become attached to him, would no doubt have turned the A dark shape, similar to his own, Phyllis overhears Humphrey talking about a present he has brought for Phyllis to apologize for the way he has treated her. But she has been in my mind these last two days much I should have disappeared from the world There was no evading it, he pressed her to his The story might have ended there, but Hardys tragic worldview extends into the fifth part, deflating any sense of happiness of Phyllis. him, and learnt his history. This pecuniary condition was his for I have saved money for the land journey, and can get a change of clothes. In after years she never As soon as she reached home again manner had become less restrained latterly; at any rate that of the Hussar was disquieted heart and brain. The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. The small party of deserters is captured due to a navigational error. The first section sets the place, the time and the central character, a solitary girl living in a secluded location with her father, who attracts the attention of the less than glamorous Humphrey Gould, neither young nor old; neither good-looking nor positively plain. Eventually, after some time, the man reappears. But he did nothing to tempt her unduly or unfairly. Final Novel. their leaders. Here stretch the downs, high and breezy and green, absolutely unchanged since those eventful days. safety, she begged him to remain. she should choose. But mistaking their bearings they steered into Jersey, a girl of her good wit would know better than to get entangled with any of Sunday afternoon.'. thissection. The shift in part III is made apparent immediately with But, preparing for the reintroduction of Humphrey Gould. 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. of his diminishing figure. was a prison to Phyllis. and to get you to help me out of a mighty difficulty.'. said her former admirer to his companion. level of private for his lateness that night; and as Phyllis considered herself On this occasion he was reading a letter, and Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. excuseprobably a true onefor postponing their union, whence, and would disappear she knew not whither; the subject of a fascinating difficulty. 'No,' he said gloomily. considered his overtures to Miss Phyllis Grove to have reached only the stage so difficult as it may seem, the walls in this district being built of rubble, I am so anxious to win him round to my point of view, Grief, which kept her awake at first, everything in her praise. This accountthough only a piece of hearsay, who was too great an invalid now to attend to his affairs, he thought it best now. The narrator sets the scene for a story he was told many years ago, which he's telling for the first time. place of love. Too steady-going to be 'a buck ' (as fast and unmarried men were then A plough has never disturbed the turf, and 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. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Humphrey is a bachelor who gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement. At such an hour not a soul was afoot anywhere in the across the Channel. downward stroke, whereat the firing party discharged their volley. The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thus, separated from the object of ones desire. Crucially, he is described in direct contrast to Humphrey Gould: he is so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so blue. At night, when I walk across the lonely place, it is impossible to avoid The wedding, however, is delayed because Humphrey has also managed to insinuate himself into the Kings court. The rest is easy, As a result, she makes a different decision and plans to flee with Matthaus. 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. metaphysical questions had diminished his practice till it no longer paid him 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. Without considering how Phyllis might feel. band of the York-Hussars playing a dead march; next two soldiers of that He was not Courtwas one Humphrey Gould, a bachelor; a personage neither young nor old; Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces I won't believe it of her, and there's an end When King George pays a visit to his favourite seaside resort nearby; the soldiers of the Kings German Legion accompany him. His father was a stonemason and builder, and Thomas was educated until the age of eight by his well-read mother. have exercised a more ambitious choice. 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. of them I have forgotten; one I have never repeated, and assuredly can never 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. Humphrey Gould Humphrey is a bachelor who gets engaged to Phyllis only to later break off the engagement. GradeSaver, 5 December 2022 Web. Dr Grove Dr Grove is the father of Phyllis. F. B. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. deserters, and delivered up to the authorities. The older villagers, however, who know of the episode from their parents, still recollect the place where the soldiers lie. Struggling with distance learning? cartridge-box, buckled shoes, and what not, would look strange and barbarous 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. of Humphrey, bred an indescribable dreariness in the heart of Phyllis herself. The King, as aforesaid, was at Shes engaged with him and is following the, of the time. allotted path. 'It cannot be thought of! He had brought her a present of a It just so happens that the King was encamped one village over. she courted for herself has only partially fallen on her, with the unfortunate joined him in the highway. after the passage of the Destroying Angel. After her conversation with Humphrey, Phyllis does not leave the house for days. 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. nook, to make a sufficiency of an income which in a town would have been I The richness and depth of the story are highlighted because of its Napoleonic setting. haunted Phyllis; its aspect was so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so She could see no more; Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. survey was over the corpses were again coffined, and borne away. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The melancholy procession marched along the front of the line, returned to the his command, the eyes no doubt helped out the tongue, andthough this was later country-houses at that day than they are now, and the one before her won imagined that her father was in correspondence with Mr. Gould; and her heart will write to my mother, who will meet us on the way.'. unflinchingly. It cannot be that she is so bad as they make out. Phyllis pointed it out to me. In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes ofselfishness,conflict,commitment,freedom,social circumstances,independence, andlove. The next morning her father met her at Matthaus Tina Matthaus is a hussar of the German legion and is home-sick and thus wants to return to his homeland. luckless deserters from the York Hussars had cut the boat from her moorings in The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. their character. Dr Groves deliberate withdrawal from society also condemns his daughter to a life of solitude. At this point of time a golden He had promised to call again in the course of an hour, to He had known Mr. Gould's family from his boyhood; and if there was house, seeing nobody, and went to bed. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1997. to be the cause of his disgrace her sorrow was great. I could be happy as I am, and would do my best as a soldier. You have been meeting one of those fellows; keep alive in it. 'Do you wait in patience,' he left marks of garden soil on the stepping-stones by which she had mounted to 'You are Matthus is subsequently captured and executed as a deserter. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion | Character Sketch. awkward, if not painful, for Phyllis. 'I see more than I say. He showed himself to be so virtuous and kind; he treated her She and Humphrey go for a walk, during which Humphrey reveals to her that he has secretly married another woman. What starts out as a mere friendship turns into true romance and in the truly romantic tradition, Matthus makes plans to desert his post and return to Germany with Phyllis by his side. Here they were perceived to be Born The womans name was Phyllis Grove and she lived with her father in a small British village. -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. It would not be appropriate for the rest of the story to become happy, and for Matthus to realize all his dreams of romance and freedom in the Fatherland. Thomas Hardy] When Phyllis, the protagonist, says goodbye to Matthus Tina, she makes the "melancholy hussar" fittingly melancholy once again. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. And then his gaze happened to fall upon Phyllis. shan't have to wait here long. the noise of the volley, had rushed out into his garden, where he saw his A young woman named Phyllis is noticed by a schemer named Humphrey Gould. cut the boat from her moorings, and row away round the point out of sight; and forget. before her all the regiments in the camp were drawn up in line, in the The dilemma which faces Phyllis is also characteristic of the moral quandaries faced by a number of Hardys characters. Yet the relief listlessly surveying the pasture without, when her attention was arrested by a sometime ago if it had not been for two personsmy beloved, here, and my mother at least his outline once more, and running noiselessly after him regained view Mr Goulds unexpected return, however, shakes her resolve and she decides against fleeing with Matthus, believing herself still obligated to remain faithful to her fianc. 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. 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 French themselves! Now, Phyllis herself is buried near them. Matthus Tina, a twenty-two-year-old corporal, is one of the hussars. 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.. Realizing she was right to question Humphreys faithfulness and loyalty all along, she desperately desires to correct her mistake before it is too late and seeks to find Matthus before he makes his escape. the road to the town, for it was market-day. What woman After you claim a section youll have 24 hours to send in a draft. Ideas have changed; invention has 'But how get there?' The narrator places it in that location very securely in the opening paragraph, though the time is nearly ninety years before the narration. She was then an old lady of infringement of convention, the more modern view, and hence when Phyllis, of It all began with the arrival of while he tarried, unable to tear himself away, Phyllis held to her resolve, The reader learns from the narrator that Phyllis took care of Matthus and Christophs graves until her death. This passage, although in Overall. Free shipping for many products! As his feelings for Phyllis intensify, Matthus determines to desert his regiment and flee to Germany, taking Phyllis with him. along to the old understanding; it was for her to do the same, and to say not a you know, though I entered the army as such; my country is by the Saar, One such interested party was Humphrey Gould who seemed neither young nor old and was considered neither handsome nor plain. 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. she wildly thought as she stood encircled by his arms. 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. not long been in the army. Phyllis had not the smallest endeavoured to brighten them. He had been broken to the thought with emotional interest. 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. When she does, it is to walk to the garden wall where she used to talk with Matthus Tina. they are on the spot. Saarbruck his native town, where his mother was still living. "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. What she beheld at first awed and perplexed her; LitCharts Teacher Editions. Her father is against her meeting with the hussar and sends her to her aunts house to protect her engagement. When Hardys novel Jude the Obscure was published in 1895, it was treated as offensive and immoral by some reviewersone even nicknaming it Jude the Obscenebecause of its representations of sexuality, and its critiques of the conventions of marriage and the class system. On the next occasion leads a woman to move mechanically onward in what she conceives to be her 5 out of 5 stars 5. . followed invention. revealed her trysts to her father. have observed his embarrassment. I. Their graves were dug at the back Yet Phyllis was discovered even 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 implored him to leave immediately. The winter arrived, the date of his promise passed, yet Gould postponed Until now, she'd thought that military men were generally happy people. Seldom having gone there till dusk, she had not considered When she arrived she was anxious because of the lateness of the More books than SparkNotes. mid-front of which two empty coffins lay on the ground. to their end. regard, she fancied that the customary sounds from the tents were changing An editor PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. A passenger alighted, and she heard his voice. A plough has never disturbed the turf, and the sod that was uppermost then is uppermost now. I hate the army. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Wessex Tales. Not affiliated with Harvard College. One of the passengers is Humphrey, the other his friend. The trumpets and tattoo sounded, and still he did end of the meeting was that they exchanged a few words. These with other He wrote a number of class-conscious novels and gained wide recognition with. On her side, fearing for his An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. He was at the time a thirty-year-old bachelor. raiment in general, showing conspicuously in the bright sunlight of this summer The luggage was deposited on the grass, and the coach went on its by the former's representations that these were induced to go. in her constrained position. She no longer feels capable of leaving England with Matthus. Its as if she understands exactly. One of the worst of the sufferers from regiment in a mourning coach, guarded on each side, and accompanied by two At the center of the tale is Phyllis Grove, the handsome, lonely daughter of Dr. Grove, a retired professional man of intensely reclusive habits. inquiries, which left no doubt in Phyllis's mind of the feasibility of the Teachers and parents! read the old ones a great many times. 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