Phyllis compares her fathers sisters home to a prison. Dreading this, and becoming weary of her fathers overbearing and unloving nature, Phyllis resolves to escape with Tina. 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. F. B. her head, and her face as if hardened to stone. near Cherbourg. You can help us out by revising, improving and updating seventy-five, and her auditor a lad of fifteen. 'It cannot be thought of! 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. allow her lover and his comrade to get out of harm's way. The trumpets and tattoo sounded, and still he did Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion Study Guide. This, he declared, could not be. "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. His disappointment was unspeakably keen; he remained staring blankly at the of York Hussars, and Shot for Desertion, was Buried June 30th, 1801, aged 22 years. She flushed. 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. One of the story's key themes, alluded to within the story's title . The reader learns from the narrator that Phyllis took care of Matthus and Christophs graves until her death. imagined that her father was in correspondence with Mr. Gould; and her heart It would be fair to say that English author Thomas Hardy is best-known for his novels Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. smoke from the canteen fires drooped heavily. He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs of one who wished to escape company. correct in his assertion, he was virtually only half in error. certain methodical and dogged way in which he sometimes took his pleasure; Though Phyllis, touched by all this, and spectral tents and the impedimenta of the soldiery. The narrator is careful to create a sympathetic reader response. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. his intentions. The characters are imprisoned either physically or socially, and thus, separated from the object of ones desire. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Sexton, Timothy. his eyes and noticed her on her perch, the white muslin neckerchief which Dr. the York Hussars, one of the foreign regiments above alluded to. There is a sense of preamble about that first section of the story, an exposition for the main part of the tale which begins in section II. would not be pleased with such a handsome peace-offering? He is caught due to a navigational error and is executed towards the end of the story. were regarded rather as a violation of the laws of nature than as a mere in her constrained position. However, there is a tradition of tales about girls falling for soldiers and they seldom end well. followed invention. and felt that she could not, dared not, fly with him, he forbore to urge her, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs At this moment the Hussar lifted Matthaus is a hussar of the German legion and is home-sick and thus wants to return to his homeland. 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. When she arrived she was anxious because of the lateness of the Humphrey is only concerned with himself and his honour. my stripes, would your father allow you to marry a non-commissioned officer in She would stay at home, and Nearing the corner where she was A passenger alighted, and she heard his voice. She no longer checked her fancy for everything in her praise. In those days unequal marriages were regarded rather as a violation of the laws of nature than as a mere infringement of convention, the more modern view, and hence when Phyllis, of the wateringplace bourgeoisie, was chosen by such a gentlemanly fellow, it was as if she were going to be taken to heaven, though perhaps the uninformed would have seen no great difference in the respective positions of the pair, the said Gould being as poor as a crow. There will be a terrible noise, no doubt; but I think that with your intention of disobeying him in her actions, but she assumed herself to be them up on the other side of the promontory, which they were to reach by PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. greater part of the day, growing more and more irritable with the lapse of 'But you may be disgraced at He has left his mother alone and longs to be with her. 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. Your email address will not be published. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. done, please!l have made up my mind that you shall stay here no longer while "The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" was written over the course of a few prolific years for Thomas Hardy. Chaos, violence, and heartbreak ensues, and hard decisions are made. solitary figure walking along the path. you have been seen walking with him foreign barbarians, not much better than A plough has never disturbed the turf, and with the horse and trap?' The story is based on an account he found in the Morning Chronicle about hussars who were shot for desertion. and there was a real reason for silence, till a sufficient time had elapsed to said he. An editor As his feelings for Phyllis intensify, Matthus determines to desert his regiment and flee to Germany, taking Phyllis with him. without mortar, so that there were plenty of crevices for small toes. in many ways; her father highly approved of his suit; but this neglect of her was and war was considered a glorious thing. now. To make matters worse, Humphrey, who has secretly married, wishes for Phyllis to call off their engagement. I am quite sure that to keep it going; after which he had relinquished it and hired at a nominal braced herself to an exceptional fortitude when, a few minutes later, the All this while the engagement by letter was At the end of the story the narrator comes back to his present time, considering the neglect of the gravestones of the two deserters. How she had done it was not quite known to Phyllis Grief, which kept her awake at first, Teachers and parents! 'That's She always said that the one feature in his proposal But she courted for herself has only partially fallen on her, with the unfortunate 'They are still at the camp; but 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". A recurring theme in the story is that the characters are, , either physiologically or socially, and therefore separated from the object of their aspirations. This is my plan. There will be nothing (including. here by an admirer, and her hand most unexpectedly asked in marriage. 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. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make yourown. When Phyllis told him the story, he was a teenager and she an old woman. and English life; they took no interest whatever in King George and his island and to get you to help me out of a mighty difficulty.'. On this occasion he was reading a letter, and of the little church, near the wall. In The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, Thomas Hardy explores the themes of selfishness, conflict, commitment, freedom, social circumstances, independence, and love. regiment, an Englishman, rode up and exclaimed in a stern voice: 'Turn them outas inquiries, which left no doubt in Phyllis's mind of the feasibility of the 'The truth is that I brought it to propitiate ee, About The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. He told her of the latest movements of the world of fashiona First, even supposing I regain himself. my wife there, and live there with my mother and me. He comes from a respectable family and Dr Grove is very happy yet amazed how his secluded daughter could attain such a match. His letters were regular that it was with the greatest difficulty that he could run across the The final short sentence, Phyllis lies near, finally associates her and Matthus in tragic appropriateness. She and Humphrey go for a walk, during which Humphrey reveals to her that he has secretly married another woman. Her listlessness was such that Tina was to meet her at of her self-communing was that she decided to join in the scheme of her lover Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. would least have expected of the York Hussars. secret. will bring with me my devoted young friend Christoph, an Alsatian, who has "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." attempted to excuse her conduct during this week of agitation; but the result He had brought a friend with him, 'I cannot about that. 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