Carter and Laura-Modernism in Return of the Native

Modernist literature originated in Europe in the late 19^th century. It was a break from the traditional style in being more expressive and poetic. One can see a modernist theme in the first chapter of Return of the Native which solely describes the setting, Egdon Heath, in depth. With long, poetic sentences and descriptive verbs, Thomas Hardy employs a modernist style throughout the novel. Because previous authors hadn’t used so much energy on descriptions, the novel stood out as modernist. However, it is believe Thomas Hardy wasn’t completely modernist because the characters in Return of the Native resemble anti-modernists perspectives. Whether you agree or not about Hardy's modernist style, the tone and syntax depict a modernist theme in the book.