Short Story Review: "The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid" By Thomas Hardy

What I am doing here is a first for me on ProSe.  Normally, I review books I've completed reading, including collections of short stories.  In this case, I really want to share my observations and thoughts about one short story in particular from a collection of Thomas Hardy's stories entitled The Withered Arm and Other Stories (Edited by Kristin Brady, Penguin Classics, 1999).  Within this superb collection of stories, written by Hardy between 1874 and 1888, is a truly fascinating tale of near-novella length titled The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid.  Hardy wrote this story while living in Wimbourne in Dorset, and it first  appeared in a special 'summer edition' of the 1883 Graphic literary journal.  The story was also simultaneously published in seven installments from June 23rd through August 4th in Harper's Weekly.  I want you to read this story so much that I am also providing a link to an electronic version of the story so that you can download and print it.  Here's the link to The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid.  Bear in mind that this on-line version is slightly different than the version I read in the Penguin Classics collection.    The version I've attached is from Hardy's final manuscript for a 1913 collection of his short stories that was published under the title A Changed Man, The Waiting Supper, and Other Tales, Concluding with The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid; but the changes he made to the story were relatively minor and more editorial in nature.

While 'Romantic Adventures' may not be Hardy's best short story, it is in my opinion nonetheless vintage Hardy, and very much well-worth reading.  Let me explain why I say that.  First, as expected, Hardy places us firmly in his 'Wessex' landscape; a pastoral place with an emphasis on Nature and the ever-changing seasons, and the country rustics that occupy and work the land.  Second, and while perhaps formulaic, the story utilizes a well-worked literary device--the 'romantic triangle'; and in this tale we have the young and innocent milkmaid and her two potential suitors.  Thirdly, Hardy, in crafting the tale, has cleverly incorporated themes from well-known fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, and allusions to the ballad James Harris (The Daemon Lover).  Finally, I believe that Hardy uses this story as a bit of  a 'dry-run' in an effort to develop his plotting, character development, and thoughts associated with what was to become one of his major literary achievements-- Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891).

Without giving away too much of the plot, let me say that 'Romantic Adventures' revolves around the milkmaid, Margaret 'Margery' Tucker; the world-wise, morose, and quasi-Byronic hero, Baron von Xanten; and Margery's beau, the rustic lime kiln operator, James Hayward.  The story opens with Margery, in her pink dress, carrying a basket of fresh butter and walking through the woods on her way to her grandmother's house ('Ah,' you say, you see where this is going, don't you?).  While taking a shortcut, Margery meets the mysterious Baron who has recently occupied a manor house so that he can indulge himself in meditation and trout fishing.  The Baron tells Margery that her interruption at that very moment has averted a great personal crisis (see the original illustration, above), and offers to reward her with a gift or "a treat."  Margery thinks for a moment, and then says that she'd prefer to think on it a while and could she give her answer later?  The Baron says that he will come to see her at dusk outside the stile on the edge of her father's property.  She tells the Baron that her wish is to attend a ball, and that she wants to dance like a lady.  The Baron tells her that he will grant her wish--Margery will get her ball!  I think I shall stop here, but suffice it to say that the tale spins on quite magically from this point forward with significant fairytale-like qualities.

Kristin Brady, in her insightful Introduction to the collection, says of 'Romantic Adventures' that the story

"...shows how a rural milkmaid might make a 'demi-god' of a suitor above her in class, while he might see her equally falsely, as a figure of pastoral simplicity and naturalness."

Hmm, does this comment bring to mind elements of another Hardy plot?  How about the situation of 'Tess Durbeyfield' and 'Angel Clare' in Tess of the d'Urbervilles?  Throughout this compelling little novella I found all sorts of images, bits of dialog and description, including geography, that all seem to point to and anticipate the later 'Tess.'

Interestingly, 'Romantic Adventures' is not so much a story of romantic love, as no one really 'falls in love' with anyone else.  It is all about the 'fantasy' or 'desire' of romantic love that each of the characters fosters in his or her mind.  Jim believes himself to be in love with Margery whom he has intended to marry for several years.  Margery is more than intrigued with the notion of the Baron loving her and traveling the world with him on his yacht.  In my opinion, the Baron is perhaps the most complicated and enigmatic character of all.  It is not at all clear what his real intentions are until the very end of the story.  In some instances, the Baron seems predatorial like the 'Wolf,' and in others he is truly Margery's 'Prince Charming,' and in still others he is making 'Mephistophelian' bargains with both Jim and Margery.  Clearly, the Baron has enchanted Margery, and to some degree, holds young Jim Hayward in his thrall as well.  Conversely, while the Baron is undoubtedly bewitched by the young and innocent milkmaid, he also very much admires and respects the fortitude and constancy of Jim's commitment to Margery.

The ending of the story may be a little, as Hardy would say, "phantastical"; but it is, nonetheless, a satisfying conclusion.  I couldn't put it down once I started reading.  In fact, I was so enamored with the plot and characters, recognizing the links and relationships to 'Tess' and some of Hardy's poetry, that I decided to read it again more carefully and then work up this blog posting for all of you.

If you haven't read 'Tess' yet, this will be an intriguing and enjoyable prelude; if you have, you'll feel clever and enjoy finding glimpses of that later great novel in this story.  There is also an interesting brief discussion of marriage between Margery and Jim that seems to portend the deeply philosophical and intensely emotional discussions between Sue Bridehead and Jude Fawley in Hardy's final novel, Jude the Obscure.  Also, as is typical for Hardy, this story is full of literary allusions to Greek mythology, the Bible, Shakespeare, Tennyson, and as we have discussed above, fairytales and ballads.  If you are a teacher, I should think it would be simply brilliant to have your students read this in conjunction with 'Tess'; or use it on its own, as I'm betting that it will engender significant discussion.  This was a fun and challenging little tale to dig into, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments too.

Review: Some Simply Superb Short Story Collections

So, here's the question--  How many of you enjoy reading collections of short stories?

I have to admit that I rarely did, until about ten years ago when I first discovered the short fiction of Edith Wharton (my favorite American author).  I am now a confirmed reader of short stories.  I usually have a collection of shorts on the bedside table, and it usually accompanies me to beach near Malibu on the weekends.

In reading the short stories of some of my favorite authors I have come to realize that some authors use the short story genre to test out new plot ideas and literary techniques for novels they may be writing, or to experiment with character and scene development.  I've also found that some authors are really just more comfortable with writing short stories in contrast to writing the longer novel.  Also, the pacing of short story plots tends to be faster, the plots themselves less complicated, and the overall effect of dialog and action is maximized.  Nowadays, when I discover a collection of short stories of an author that I am reading (and liking), I usually make an effort to acquire and read them.

The purpose of this blog posting was to take a couple of minutes and share with you some of my favorite short story authors and their collections.  While I am not reviewing each of the collections per se, I have included my impressions of 'why' I believe they merit reading.

The Country of the Pointed Firs and Selected Short Fiction, By Sarah Orne Jewett

This was a woman profoundly admired by the young Willa Cather; and, in fact, Jewett told Cather (paraphrasing) 'to stop writing like Henry James, and just tell the story.'  Cather was so affected by Jewett's influence that she dedicated her 1913 novel, "O' Pioneers" to Jewett.  This collection of Jewett's short stories is magnificent; they are a quiet, pastoral, lovely and idyllic look at a small slice of Americana in a small Maine sea-side village at the end of the 19th century, and told from the perspective of an unnamed female narrator.  Each of these unpretentious little stories just has the feel of something that your grandmother, or great-aunt, would have told you over a bowl of blueberries and cream.  Cather included Jewett's writing in with Nathanial Hawthorne's and Mark Twain's as some of of America's most timeless fiction.  High praise indeed!

The New York Stories of Edith Wharton, By Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton is near the top of the pinnacle of American fiction for me.  While I have read all of her novels, I have come to realize that her greatest strength may well be her short stories.  They are simply sublime.  They definitely pack a punch!  And while I reference the New York Review of Books edition here, I have a couple of other collection of her shorts and they are all nothing short of brilliant.  She published a volume of ghost stories that are truly some of the best spooky stuff out there.  In my opinion, Wharton is one of the masters of the short genre; she grabs you in a page or two, and doesn't let go.  When finished with a story, you just lean back in your chair and breathe a low, "Whew!"  Yes, she's that good!  Wharton's shorts span more than forty years, from the early 1890s until her death in 1937, and reflect her evolving literary style as well as her changing views on society and the lives and relationships of the people living in it.   If you read only a sample of Wharton shorts, read Autre Temps, Pomegranate Seed, and Roman Fever.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, By Susannah Clarke

If you loved Susannah Clarke's debut novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, you will adore this collection of short stories.  Several of the stories have a direct tie-in to JS&MN, and a several are stand alone, but they're all very good.  This woman can write a story that engages you from the get-go.  These are almost 'fairy tales' in the true sense of the word.  I particularly enjoyed the title story, The Ladies of Grace Adieu, as it expands upon one of Clarke's footnotes from JS&MN (i.e., Footnote 2, Chapter 43).  While this collection is an excellent companion to the novel, it can also serve as a stand-alone introduction to Clarke's style, wit, prose, and imagination.  Having read this collection of short stories, as well as Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, it strikes me that, above all, Clarke provides a view of what it means to be English.  I think that these are amazing books, and this collection of short stories a welcome addition to her work.  From this collection of shorts, I highly recommend The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Mrs Mabb, On Lickerish Hill, and Mr Simonelli or the Fairy Widower.

The Troll Garden, By Willa Cather

All six of these short stories are worth reading!  This is an exquisite collection of Cather's early writing.  Once Cather embarked on writing her novels, she only wrote sixteen more short stories, so these early works are an important window into her maturation as a writer.  From this collection, I most especially loved Flavia and Her Artists, A Death in the Desert, and The Marriage of Phaedra.  This is a woman who is in touch with the pulse of the people around her in her time.  This is very good stuff.  As an aside, I am a huge fan of the Victorian poet, Christina Georgina Rossetti, and was quite intrigued to find that Cather uses a stanza from Rossetti's epic poem, Goblin Market, as an epigraph to open the collection.

"We must not look at Goblin men,
We must not buy their fruits;
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry thirsty roots?"

Like Wharton, Cather is a master at describing, with pathos and drama, the relationships and conflicts between men and women.  Each of these stories is crafted with imagination, tension, and poignancy--it is all here.  Cather is just brilliant!  This is a terrific collection of her short fiction! 

The Withered Arm and Other Stories, By Thomas Hardy

As many of you know, I am on a serious Hardy jag of late.  Hardy is the bomb!  I haven't encountered an author with power like this in some time.  The last author that grabbed me like this was Cormac McCarthy for fiction and Christina Rossetti with her poetry.  Hardy's short stories are nothing short of amazing.  They are macabre, devilish, scary, spooky, bizarre, gut-wrenching, and hauntingly beautiful.  There are several superb collections of Hardy's shorts out there, but I strongly recommend that you find and read the following stories: The Withered Arm, Barbara of the House of Grebe, The Son's Veto, The Fiddler of the Reels, An Imaginative Woman, and The Grave by the Handpost.  If you are a fan of poetry, you can find many references to elements from these shorts in Hardy's poetry too.  Following on that thought, I have to say that much of Thomas Hardy's poetry reads like short stories too; as much of his poetry has the distinct earthy feel and flavor of the folk tales and ballads he would have heard growing up in southwestern England in the mid-19th century.  So, if you want to host a Halloween Party and read some spooky stories aloud, I strongly recommend reading a couple of Hardy stories (and some of his poetry); they'd go well with the Edgar Allen Poe stories (and some rum punches!).

I'd love to know if you if you like short stories, and what are your favorite short story collections.  I'm always looking for some new stuff to read!