Return of the Native (version 2 dramatic reading)

Published in 1878, 'Return of the Native' by Thomas Hardy is set in the isolated Wessex moors and follows Clym Yeobright as he returns home to Egdon Heath. The narrative revolves around a complex love pentagon involving Clym, his cousin Thomasin, inn-keeper Damon Wildeve, the enigmatic Eustacia Vye, and the reddleman Diggory Venn. Notable for its pagan undertones and themes of love and fate, the novel uniquely spans a year and a day, beginning on All Hallow's Eve, intertwining elements of magic and witchcraft with Hardy's characteristic exploration of human relationships and the natural landscape.