The hand of Ethelberta: A comedy in chapters (His The new Wessex edition) - Softcover

Hardy, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0333177614 ISBN 13: 9780333177617

Publisher: Macmillan, 1975

Synopsis

Adventuress and opportunist, Ethelberta reinvents herself to disguise her humble origins, launching a brilliant career as a society poet in London with her family acting incognito as her servants. Turning the male-dominated literary world to her advantage, she happily exploits the attentions of four very different suitors. Will she bestow her hand upon the richest of them, or on the man she loves? Ethelberta Petherwin, alias Berta Chickerel, moves with easy grace between her multiple identities, cleverly managing a tissue of lies to aid her meteoric rise. In "The Hand of Ethelberta" (1876), Hardy drew on conventions of popular romances, illustrated weeklies, plays, fashion plates, and even his wife's diary in this comic story of a woman in control of her destiny.

About this title

From the Publisher

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From the Back Cover

Ethelberta Petherwin is a glamorous young widow; her passionate poetry, beauty and wealth make her the star of every salon, and her faint air of mystery merely increases her allure. But if her hand is London's most valued prize, it is because no one has yet noticed her lineage of laborers recently risen to the doubtful heights of domestic servitude. Hardy scrutinizes Ethelberta as the strain of deception takes its toll, and her precarious hold on her coveted social status begins to slip.

Edition details

• Publisher: Macmillan
• Publication date: 1975
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0333177614
• ISBN 13: 9780333177617
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 429