A Bioregional Reading Of The Return Of The Native

As an important English critical realism novelist during19thto20thcentury,Thomas Hardy achieves great success both in novel and in poetry. Hardy’s novelsspecialize in their unified natural background—the Wessex world as well as theindigenous environment and dwellers. The Return of the Native is a representativework of Hardy’s novel series of "Character and Environment". It describes the novel’sbackground—Egdon Heath’s distinct local or regional characteristics. This thesis willreread this novel in light of bioregionalism, aiming at studying the collisions andfusions between the heath-dwellers and their bioregional environment.This thesis contains five parts. The first part is introductory section, includingintroduction of Thomas Hardy and his works, literature review, thetheory—bioregionalism applied in this paper along with Hardy’s bioregional thoughts,and the outline of this paper.Chapter One deals with the bioregional elements reflected on the heath. As a realexistence, Egdon Heath has its own distinct natural surroundings. It has its specificgeographical feature, animals, plants and even weather. All of these accomplish theheath as a unique bioregion.Chapter Two presents a delicate analysis of the harmonious relationship betweenheath-dwellers and the heath in terms of basic bioregional principle of"living-in-place". Dwellers on the heath make their living upon the natural resourc esoffered by the heath. Their rustic life and sincere love are due to their living wisdomof "living-on-heath".Chapter Three elaborates the conflicts between heath dwellers and the heath dueto their alienation and betray upon the heath. Bioregionalism emphasizes habitants’sense of bioregional identification with where they inhabit, along with cognition ofthis bioregion and the willingness to enrich it. It advocates that inhabitants should livein a way that contributes to preservation of their local natural place. In the novel,Clym’s efforts to reform the heath, Eustacia’s attempt to escape from the heath and theinsincere love between them can be deemed as results of their inadequateidentification with the heath.Chapter Four comments on reinhabitation as a solution to conflicts between theheath and its dwellers. It includes Eustacia’s self-redemption through nature, Clym’strue self regained in nature and Thomasin’s energy restored in nature. Bioregionalism’s principle of reinhabitation offers access to tackle alienation andcollisions between heath-dwellers and the heath.