A changed man and other tales

In these short stories Hardy’s love of the eerie and the supernatural is brought out in full measure, as is his skill in depicting topographical detail. In the title story, set in Casterbridge, a young Hussar captain comes to the town when his regiment is posted to the barracks there. Before long he becomes engaged to Laura, said to be a born ‘player of hearts’. Handsome and coveted by all the young maidens, Captain Maumbry seems the perfect match for Laura, who has long desired to enter heart and soul into a military romance. But then a new parson comes to town and though he first irritates the Captain by requesting a stop to regimental band-playing on Sundays, the two later become close friends. When the Captain subsequently announces his intention of resigning his commission and entering the Church as a curate, it causes consternation all round. What changes will it wreak on the small community, on Laura, and not least on Maumbry himself?

The “Changed Man” is Captain Maumbry, a dashing Hussar from a regiment that comes to Casterbridge, captivating all the young women and most of the young men. But the regiment is “haunted” and — after a new parson comes to town, the formerly carefree soldier Maumbry is transformed into a deeply religious minister. But his wife has no intention of becoming a poor parson’s bridge; the dissolution of their marriage and both of their lives constitutes the rest of the tale. In distilling deep insight from what serves as cruel gossip in most towns — not merely Casterbridge — Hardy is writing about his heart’s truest subject. A Changed Man and Other Tales is highly recommended for readers who are moved by such bleak, uncompromising, yet truthful visions.