It would be fair to say that English author Thomas Hardy is best-known for his novels Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. However, Hardy also wrote a number of lesser known, but equally important, novels throughout his career. The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion, which was published in 1890, is one such novel.
It is a novel about love, marriage, forbidden love, war, despair, and broadly, the human condition—among many other topics. Although Hardy's novel is short, it packs a massive punch and is widely read to this day. In fact, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is read throughout schools in the United States and the United Kingdom. Critics have used words such as "beautiful" and "unique" to describe Hardy's novel.
Set in 1801, The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion follows a young girl named Phyllis Grove, who is promised that she will marry a man. Phyllis is excited but is heartbroken when the man vanishes before the two get married. Eventually, after some time, the man reappears. In the meantime, Phyllis falls in love Matthaüs, a Hussar (as the title suggests) of the German Legion. Chaos, violence, and heartbreak ensues, and hard decisions are made.
