Two on a Tower is an 1882 novel by Thomas Hardy, classified as a romance and fantasy, and situated in a version of late Victorian Dorset. It tells the story of the unconventional love between Lady Constantine and an astronomer, Swithin St. Cleeve, examining themes of societal expectations, class, age, science, and astronomy.
Two on a Tower (1882) is a novel by Thomas Hardy, categorized as a romance and fantasy, and set in a version of late Victorian Dorset. The story follows the unconventional love affair between Lady Constantine and an astronomer, Swithin St. Cleeve, exploring themes of societal norms, class, age, science, and astronomy.
| Front | Two on a tower |
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| Back | Two on a Tower (1882) is a novel by English author Thomas Hardy, classified by him as a romance and fantasy and now regarded as one of his minor works. The book is one of Hardy's Wessex novels, set in a parallel version of late Victorian Dorset. Quick facts: Author, Country … Epigraph Hardy placed an epigraph at the beginning of this book. The epigraph is from a Richard Crashaw poem, Love's Horoscope. It reads: "Ah, my heart her eyes and she Have taught thee new astrology. Howe'er Love's native hours were set, Whatever starry synod met, 'Tis in the mercy of her eye, If poor Love shall live or die." Plot Two On A Tower is a tale of star-crossed love in which Hardy sets the emotional lives of his two lovers against the background of the stellar universe. The unhappily married Lady Constantine breaks all the rules of social decorum when she falls in love with Swithin St. Cleeve, an astronomer who is eight years her junior. Her husband's death leaves the lovers free to marry, but the discovery of a legacy forces them apart. This is Hardy's most complete treatment of the theme of love across the class and age divide and the fullest expression of his fascination with science and astronomy. |
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