The Return in Hardy - a talk by Mark Damon Chutter

Mark Damon Chutter is speaking at Upwey Old School Village Hall on Friday 13 November, as part of the Thomas Hardy Society's Birthday Lecture series. Chutter is the Society's Chairman and Academic Director, and he'll be talking about the motif of return that runs through Hardy's writing.

It's a theme that crops up across several of Hardy's best-known novels. Chutter looks at characters like Clym Yeobright in The Return of the Native, Sergeant Francis Troy in Far from the Madding Crowd, and Michael Henchard, to whom both Susan Henchard and Lucetta Le Sueur return in The Mayor of Casterbridge. His argument is that their past histories are tied to place, and that returning to their native ground leads them towards demise and tragedy. He also notes that Hardy himself returned to Casterbridge and designed his home, Max Gate.

If you've read any of those books, you'll recognise the pattern he's talking about. The lecture brings them together under one roof, so it's a good way to see how the same idea plays out across different stories. It's part of the Society's birthday series, so it's a bit more than a one-off talk.

Doors open at 6:30 pm and the talk starts at 7:00 pm. Tickets are £5 each, and that includes a complimentary glass of wine, beer or soft drink on arrival. The venue is Upwey Old School Village Hall, Weymouth, DT3 5QE.