Under the Greenwood Tree
Thomas Hardy's 1872 idyll of the Mellstock parish choir, his second published novel, issued anonymously. Later editions carried his name.
- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- 1872
- Form
- Novels
- Authorship
- Revealed: Thomas Hardy
- Attribution source
- Wikidata P50 (Q2251594); Wikipedia note
- How it came out
- later editions published under the author's name
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
Under the Greenwood Tree appeared anonymously in 1872, a gentle comedy of a village church choir displaced by an organ and of the courtship of Fancy Day, the new schoolmistress. Hardy, a working architect not yet sure fiction could support him, followed the common practice of unsigned first books; his previous novel had also appeared without his name after savage reviews of a still earlier manuscript. As his reputation grew, later editions carried his name and the novel took its place at the head of the Wessex sequence. The anonymity was a young professional's hedge, quietly retired.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Under the Greenwood Tree?
Under the Greenwood Tree was published anonymously and is documented as the work of Thomas Hardy. (later editions published under the author's name). Source: Wikidata P50 (Q2251594); Wikipedia note.
Can I read Under the Greenwood Tree for free?
Yes. Under the Greenwood Tree is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at Project Gutenberg.
When was Under the Greenwood Tree published?
Under the Greenwood Tree was published in 1872 without an author’s name.
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