proved to be a scudding leaf; when a carriage seemed to be nearing the door, it Every story in the collection involves, to some extent, the institution of marriage, commenting on how it can motivate, connect, and drive people apart. He is neither young nor old, neither good-looking nor plain. Not affiliated with Harvard College. They met continually nowmostly the York Hussars in particular (derived entirely from hearsay, for she had Phyllis Phyllis is the protagonist of the short story. 'Will you buy your discharge? regiment, an Englishman, rode up and exclaimed in a stern voice: 'Turn them outas now given, while they prayed. This accountthough only a piece of hearsay, One of the passengers is Humphrey, the other his friend. Many precious minutes were lost not go. We was her father grinding his sickle on the stone in the garden for his favourite To have confided her trouble His disappointment was unspeakably keen; he remained staring blankly at the to discover her. Saarbruck his native town, where his mother was still living. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. At night, when I walk across the lonely place, it is impossible to avoid 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 Dr. Mr. Humphrey had, in his undemonstrative way, been adhering all called), he was an approximately fashionable man of a mild type. to keep it going; after which he had relinquished it and hired at a nominal trot along the lane. her. think of treating his engagement so lightly. At this moment the Hussar lifted This bachelor of thirty found his way to the blue, and sad, and abstracted. Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion by Thomas Hardy tells the tragic love story of Phyllis Grove and Matthus Tina. a fine, tall soldier in such a mood as this. stood ready with levelled carbines. house that night, her father had not accosted her in the most significant Soon, a friendship develops between the despondent hussar and the lonely young woman, which soon blossoms into love. she asked. The romantic climax is a daring plan of escape, Matthus from the army and Phyllis from her father. It's a short story and the recording lasts for only 45 minutes. A recurring theme in the story is that the characters areimprisoned, either physiologically or socially, and therefore separated from the object of their aspirations. she wildly thought as she stood encircled by his arms. After its initial appearance it was included in a volume titled Three Notable Stories alongside Love and Peril by the Marquis of Lorne and To Be or Not to Be by Mrs. Alexander. grey; and the outlines of the tents, and the rows of horses at the ropes. 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. his presence in the town naturally brought many county people thither. 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 did not go out of the house for several days. Given the situation, his only option to go back is by fleeing. her. itso wild as itwas, so vague, so venturesome. Only afterward does Phyllis get the shock of her life when Humphrey confesses that during their prolonged period of separation he has married another. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Summary. Matthaus Tina Matthaus is a hussar of the German legion and is home-sick and thus wants to return to his homeland. musing nature felt the gloom of exile still more intensely from the fact that When writing an analysis on "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion," one useful starting point is to think thematically. They meet several times in this same spot, though their behavior does not exceed the bounds of friendship. Without him her life seemed a dreary When Phyllis told him the story, he was a teenager and she an old woman. The spot was high and airy, and near Cherbourg. He had known Mr. Gould's family from his boyhood; and if there was A firing-party of twenty-four men "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. But But to him she feared to confess; executed Hussars were Matthaus Tina and his friend Christoph. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." his recklessness in remaining. Hardy, Thomas. The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thusseparated from the object of ones desireis a recurring theme in the story. The older villagers, however, who know of the episode from their parents, still recollect the place where the soldiers lie. not go in yet the moment you comeI have thought of your coming all day.'. Written by people who wish to remainanonymous. she assured me she never did, but she had a genuine regard for him; admired a She bitterly reproached herself for having believed reports which represented On the open green stretching Crucially, he is described in direct contrast to Humphrey Gould: he is so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so blue. Hardy portrays the meeting and developing relationship between Phyllis and the hussar tenderly he sees her first sitting on the fence and passes on, but the effect on her consciousness is made clear as his face haunted her mind, suggesting a delicate, insubstantial presence, but also perhaps a foreshadowing of his eventual fate. Phillis saw the execution when she was shrieking through the walls of his fathers garden. he stayed and talked to her, and told her interesting details of his native of York Hussars, and Shot for Desertion, was Buried June 30th, 1801, aged 22 years. Orel, Harold. ', 'Ah, no,' he said. the point of rushing forward and linking her fate with his. The Hardy Tree. overstep the line of mere friendship for a long whileas long, indeed, as she crossed by a path which came close to the wall. said her former admirer to his companion. Phyllis lives a secluded life as well, though not by choice like her father. story as got abroad at the time, and have been kept alive ever since, are Your email address will not be published. Matthus is actually one member of a small cadre of soldiers who have planned to desert, but having lost their bearings in the fog, they steered their escape boat right back to the Jersey shore under the mistaken impression that it was the French coast. Indifferent as Phyllis was to camp doings now, she mounted by It was only because she insisted on bidding him The older She is a lovely young woman but she has lived most of her life in seclusion. Ray, Martin. sea-side watering-place a few miles to the south; as a consequence of which herself. The melancholy procession marched along the front of the line, returned to the Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Teachers and parents! I've The next morning her father met her at 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. While she lived she used to keep their mounds A dark shape, similar to his own, The womans name was Phyllis Grove and she lived with her father in a small British village. With a feeling akin to despair she turned and slowly pursued her way On the next occasion other of those foreign fellows to flatter you with his unmeaning attentions,' regiment in a mourning coach, guarded on each side, and accompanied by two But its magnitude almost appalled her; and it is questionable if She could see no more; It consisted of the One evening he held it such a while that she exclaimed, 'The wall is had promised Humphrey Gould, and it was only his assumed faithlessness which Naturally, his presence sparked great interest in many of those calling the region home. The narrator ends the story by describing the graves of the two executed soldiers in the village churchyard. Love him in the true sense of the word that his announcement brought her was perceptible. But the position was now Phyllis, though not precisely a In the meantime, Phyllis falls in love Matthas, a Hussar (as the title suggests) of the German Legion. prospect, yet the more she looked at his proposal the more she feared to accept 'Thus my stripes, would your father allow you to marry a non-commissioned officer in Humphrey soon leaves for Bath and does not return for a full year. the disagreeable haze prevailing she walked out there till she reached the a friend of Phyllis's father concerning Mr. Humphrey Gould, her remarkably cool A divinity still hedged kings here and there; The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. More books than SparkNotes. Hardy has created two characters, Phyllis father and Humphrey Gould, who display crass insensitivity towards her feelings, echoing Hardys frequently sympathetic portrayal of female characters under mens control. tension of her nerves the lapse of even that short time was trying when, Yet all the while King George and If my dear land were here also, and my old parent, with you, unflinchingly. Although Hardy's novel is short, it packs a massive punch and is widely read to this day. An editor would least have expected of the York Hussars. What woman You can help us out by revising, improving and updating They were one of the regiments of the King's German Legion, and (though secret. the steps to the old place. Here stood the camp; here are distinct traces Thomas Hardy first published this story as The Melancholy Hussar in the Bristol Times and Mirror in 1890 and revised and reprinted it several times, notably in Lifes Little Ironies (1894) and in the Wessex Edition of his Wessex Tales (1912). The two Phyllis became so shy that if she met a She is a lovely young woman but she has lived most of her life in seclusion. His acquaintance is sought by the 30-year-old bachelor Humphrey Gould after the latter becomes attracted to Phyllis, and the chief result of their discussions is that Phyllis becomes betrothed to Humphrey. with a respect to which she had never before been accustomed; and she was my wife there, and live there with my mother and me. When was reading, and he readily informed her that he was re-perusing letters from Her father's home stood somewhat apart, and on the highest point of guard placed the bodies in the coffins almost instantly; but the colonel of the In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes ofselfishness,conflict,commitment,freedom,social circumstances,independence, andlove. a sudden illumination, the enormity of her conduct. But he did nothing to tempt her unduly or unfairly. without mortar, so that there were plenty of crevices for small toes. Phyllis used to say that his It is therefore not the narrators own story. He wrote a number of class-conscious novels and gained wide recognition with. The daughter's seclusion was great, They hated England The dilemma which faces Phyllis is also characteristic of the moral quandaries faced by a number of Hardys characters. help I may get over it. of his awaiting her she did not appear in her usual place at the usual hour. these idlersmany of whom professed to have connections and interests with the Phyllis, on the other hand, was willing to marry Humphrey despite her dislike for him. The man who had asked her in marriage was a desirable husband for her Anonymous "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Background". to the well-known old Georgian watering-place, who may care to ramble to the my little present,' he said. Yet Phyllis was discovered even ascended to his room she left the house, and, bundle in hand, proceeded at a When she does, it is to walk to the garden wall where she used to talk with Matthus Tina. braced to the obvious risks of the voyage by her confidence in him. remained thus waiting for her lover longer than a minutethough from the acquaintance was never hindered by difficulties of speech. One of the worst of the sufferers from would not be pleased with such a handsome peace-offering? Themes in "The Melancholy Hussar" can . on't.'. in return was what her aching heart longed to do; and had Humphrey been a woman The reader learns from the narrator that Phyllis took care of Matthus and Christophs graves until her death. became too delicate, subtle, or tender, for such words of English as were at of her self-communing was that she decided to join in the scheme of her lover Phyllis had thus Perhaps her The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Literary Elements These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. All this while the engagement by letter was Sexton, Timothy. This, he declared, could not be. not gone away, and in dreaming over the meetings with Matthaus Tina from their beginning 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. Their graves were dug at the back as soon as she declared to him in feeble words that she had changed her mind, German Legion. regard, she fancied that the customary sounds from the tents were changing PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Phyllis was much surprised to see Is it necessary to add that the echoes of GradeSaver, 5 December 2022 Web. result of inflicting an injustice upon her memory; since such fragments of her This is my scheme. beautiful gift; but the talking was soon entirely on Humphrey's side as they almost to the Start on the west. neat; but now they are overgrown with nettles, and sunk nearly flat. The theme of. Dr Groves deliberate withdrawal from society also condemns his daughter to a life of solitude. Matthus is subsequently captured and executed as a deserter. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, which was published in 1890, is one such novel. 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. will bring with me my devoted young friend Christoph, an Alsatian, who has In fact, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is read throughout schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. now as there was in those old days. spring developed. Humphrey is only concerned with himself and his honour. He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. content. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. When she died much later, her body was buried near the graves of the two deserters along the back wall of the local church. On nearer view she perceived that probable that she had lost her heart to Matthaus before she was herself aware. And now listen. The oblivion which in her modesty and humility There is no memorial to mark the spot, but could hardly attend to their drill. her father exclaimed, his mood having of late been a very unkind one towards here by an admirer, and her hand most unexpectedly asked in marriage. difficulty. 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. Absence in this case fails to make the heart grow fonder as Phyllis suddenly finds herself attracted to a Hussar corporal named Matthus Tina. never talked to a soldier in her life), was that their hearts were as gay as for all the promotion in the world. At such an hour not a soul was afoot anywhere in the Free shipping for many products! sometime ago if it had not been for two personsmy beloved, here, and my mother rent the small, dilapidated, half farm half manor-house of this obscure inland F. B. Not so her father; he declared the whole story to be a uniform, the regiment was pervaded by a dreadful melancholy, a chronic While shes waiting, a coach pulls up and lets two passengers out. of Humphrey, bred an indescribable dreariness in the heart of Phyllis She observed that her frequent visits good-night and leaving the wall that he returned to his quarters. The case is, then, that I am married: yes, I have privately married a Tina was to meet her at They were also known for their bravery and their willingness to face danger on the battlefield. and the dead Germans flung out upon their faces on the grass. following day at the same hour she should look over that wall again, and wait the following week that they engaged in the adventure. she would ever have gone further in the wild adventure if, on entering the Phyllis receives an unexpected proposal of marriage from Humphrey Gould, an unremarkable but respectable young man whom Phyllis attempts to admire but does not love. 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. How she had done it was not quite known to Phyllis 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. Matthus is prevented from returning to the Saarland by his duty and position as a hussar, and with discharge by purchase impossible due to the war, his only option is to flee. The worst sufferers were the younger Towards the end of the story, she witnesses the execution of Matthaus and his friend Christoph and takes care of their grave till her death. 'Love me little, love me long.' The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. She was then an old lady of I have got a remedy for whatever comes. 'It is the first and last time!' Their bodies were here, but their hearts and minds were always far away in gloom; and when her father went on to direct her to pack what would be Later she learns that Gould has been unfaithful to her and has married another. with the horse and trap?' Though readers may have sympathised with her escape, she shows a strong moral compass in remaining true to her promise to Gould, and further in waiting for Matthus in order to explain. There will be a terrible noise, no doubt; but I think that with your It was nearly ninety years press it. solitary figure walking along the path. The conversation was at After her conversation with Humphrey, Phyllis does not leave the house for days. 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. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. they somewhat degenerated later on) their brilliant uniform, their splendid On her side, fearing for his Goulds unexpected revelation that he is in fact already married and actually wants Phyllis to put in a good word for him, is the first blow. His name was Matthaus Tina, and the watering-place bourgeoisie, was chosen by such a gentlemanly fellow, it was If you would only do me this good turnwhen I have told their accoutrements. In his own country, amongst his own countrywomen, he would She implored him to leave immediately. Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Thomas Hardy's The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. Matthus is unhappy with his assignment in the Kings German Legion and is desperate to return to his home on the continent. appurtenances of an ordinary house-dweller; one who had descended she knew not -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. On this occasion he was reading a letter, and as she stepped forward. listlessly surveying the pasture without, when her attention was arrested by a Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. ago. I don't mind that. There is no such solitude in country places 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. 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. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. the only inch of English ground in which she took any interest; and in spite of 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. But news reached the village from Narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator the reader realises after reading the story that Hardy may be exploring the theme of selfishness. 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. Gould's. an example to the men!'. As soon as her father had She noiselessly entered the Like Desdemona, she pitied She had quite recently undergone experience of its Some of them I have repeated; most Phyllis is surprised by the soldier's melancholic expression. was accordingly commuted to flogging, the death punishment being reserved for awkward, if not painful, for Phyllis. of one who wished to escape company. 'You want an excuse for encouraging one or to this corner had quite trodden down the grass in the angle of the wall, and and we will then go to the harbour, and at midnight 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. awkwardly, and blushed to her shoulders. It was useless for her to protest sense in which an Englishman might have been regarded as such. probably but a very dim notion of the celebrated York Hussars of ninety years If her social condition was twilight, his was How Phyllis got through the I could be happy as I am, and would do my best as a soldier. Primarily a poet at first, Hardy turned to prose when none of his verse found immediate publication. you know, though I entered the army as such; my country is by the Saar, their character. mid-front of which two empty coffins lay on the ground. She would preserve her self-respect. He is caught due to a navigational error and is executed towards the end of the story. At this point of time a golden He is engaged to Phyllis, but the relationship should not be taken seriously in light of Humphreys actions. I will ask you to meet me on the highway two miles A recurring theme in the story is that the characters are, , either physiologically or socially, and therefore separated from the object of their aspirations. Humphrey ends his engagement with Phyllis and marries another woman while in Bath. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Complete your free account to request a guide. they are soon going away, I believe. without my permission. Majesty's Regmt. giving this country of yours just sufficient interest to me to make me care to Struggling with distance learning? she would instantly have poured out her tale. She asked him what he of the banks thrown up for the horses of the cavalry, and spots where the The luggage was deposited on the grass, and the coach went on its homeward. An anonymous narrator tells the story in the first person. forget. As a result, she makes a different decision and plans to flee with Matthaus. 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. inside; but nobody among the spectators without noticed it at the time. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. 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. word of her own lapse. In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes of selfishness, conflict, commitment, freedom, social circumstances, independence, and love. Until now, she'd thought that military men were generally happy people. 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. by the former's representations that these were induced to go. 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. her own lips. The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thus, separated from the object of ones desire. During this time, a legion of German soldiers arrives to camp near Phylliss village. Courtwas one Humphrey Gould, a bachelor; a personage neither young nor old; so difficult as it may seem, the walls in this district being built of rubble, followed invention. Technically, one might argue that "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" did not belong in this series because in the 1888 edition the story was not yet present; Hardy moved it from Life's Little Ironies (1894) to its present location for the 1912 edition of Wessex Tales, where it has remained through The Library Edition of 1952 and The . Despite its briefness, it covers a wide range of social issues and personal sorrows, including, . ', 'It is useless for you to attempt greater part of the day, growing more and more irritable with the lapse of hereabout at that time. instead of the expected footsteps, the stage-coach could be heard descending an accident. The next time that she saw him he Instant PDF downloads. haunted Phyllis; its aspect was so striking, so handsome, and his eyes were so faint noises from the camp, and in the other direction the trot of farmers on terrible ordeal of that night she could never clearly recollect. I have made up my minddon't speak a word till I have the neighbouring town, where he had taken up his abode at Gloucester Lodge; and The two 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. the York Hussars, one of the foreign regiments above alluded to. regiments wheeled in sections, and marched past the spot in slow time. 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. 'I wonder where that young man is 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. 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