6 h 42 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 42 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On a windy Christmas Eve, village singers carry old customs into the dark—and a young man's heart turns toward love.
In Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree, the Mellstock choir sets out to sing carols at village houses. Among its members is kind, honest Dick Dewy, who falls for the new schoolmistress, Fancy Day. She enjoys admiration, but her heart and her ambitions do not point neatly in the same direction.
As the seasons turn, Dick faces a wealthy rival in Farmer Shiner and the firm opinions of Fancy's father, Geoffrey Day. Meanwhile, the new vicar, Mr Maybold, wants to improve the church music. His plans unsettle the choir, bringing a larger question into this gentle comedy: what happens when cherished customs stand in the way of change?
What you’ll discover
- Carols in the darkness Join the Mellstock singers on a cold Christmas Eve as they keep a village tradition alive.
- A heart with choices Follow Fancy as affection, admiration, and ambition pull her toward different futures.
- Neighbors around the hearth Visit the Dewy family's Christmas party, where warm hospitality brings the village together.
- Old ways under pressure See why a quarrel over church music matters so deeply to the people who play it.
- Country humor and seasons Enjoy the parish's jokes and habits as work and weather mark the passing year.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy village comedy, gentle love stories, country music and customs, and talk full of humour. It suits anyone who likes warm characters and careful nature writing.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A glimpse begins Dick's courtship
- The dance reveals a rival
- Kindness softens the choir's defeat
- Fancy makes the question inevitable
- Her father's pride blocks Dick
- Progress leaves the singers behind
- Love does not remove vanity
- Small silences carry the story
Who’s who
- Dick DewyA young, trusting carrier's son and treble violin player who falls for the new schoolmistress and wants to marry her.
- Fancy DayThe pretty new schoolmistress, quick and charming, who enjoys admiration and must choose between her suitors and her own wishes.
- Reuben DewyDick's father, a stout, easygoing tranter who loves cider, company and good talk, and watches his son's courtship with wry amusement.
- William DewyDick's grandfather, a devoted bass viol player who leads the choir and loves music above everything.
- Mr. MayboldThe young vicar, kind and earnest, who wants an organ in church and takes a growing interest in Fancy.
- Fred ShinerA prosperous farmer and churchwarden who pushes for the organ and hopes to win Fancy for himself.
- Geoffrey DayFancy's father, a silent head keeper who wants his daughter to marry well and keeps her from the match she wants.
- Thomas LeafA thin, simple choir singer who begs to see the singers confront the vicar.
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Under the Greenwood Tree
by Thomas Hardy · 1872
A village choir serenades the new schoolmistress on Christmas Eve, and young Dick Dewy is captivated by her.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Dedicated with devoted admiration to the greatest poet and novelist of our age Thomas Hardy”
In short
Picture a cold Christmas Eve in a country parish. A young man walks a dark lane under whispering trees, singing as he goes.
Under the Greenwood Tree at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 50 min3 h fast, 4 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 54,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1872by Thomas Hardy
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A midnight carol and a face at the window
The story opens with the choir of Mellstock parish gathering on Christmas Eve. Dick Dewy walks the lane singing, and he meets the other singers on the way to his father's house, where Reuben Dewy is tapping a cask of cider.
The talk wanders, and nothing much happens, yet you come to know every voice in the room. Mr. Penny the shoemaker tells the company about the new schoolmistress. Then the band sets out with lanterns, fiddles and a bass viol, visiting house after house in the snow.
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Details
- First published
- 1872
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 20 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Hardy, Thomas. Under the Greenwood Tree. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-greenwood-tree.
Hardy, T. (2026). Under the greenwood tree. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-greenwood-tree (Original work published 1872)
Hardy, Thomas. Under the Greenwood Tree. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-greenwood-tree.
@book{hardy2026under,
author = {Hardy, Thomas},
title = {Under the Greenwood Tree},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/under-the-greenwood-tree},
note = {First published 1872}
}
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What is Under the Greenwood Tree about?
It follows a year in the village of Mellstock. Dick Dewy, a carrier's son, falls in love with the new schoolmistress Fancy Day, while a farmer and the vicar also take interest in her, and the old church choir is replaced by an organ.
Why was it first called The Mellstock Quire?
Hardy first meant that title because the book pictures the village church band, its singers and fiddlers. A quire means a choir. Later editions kept Under the Greenwood Tree as the main name and added the old title as a subtitle.
Is Under the Greenwood Tree a true story?
It is fiction, first published in 1872. Hardy said in his preface that it gives a faithful picture of country church musicians and their customs from roughly fifty or sixty years before, based on real people and real habits.
The author
Thomas Hardy
1840–1928 · English novelist and poet
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was an English novelist and poet. He was born in Dorset and lived in Dorset and London. His novels include Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), and Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891). He published poetry collections from 1898 until his death.
“Because how much you mean to me depends on how much I mean to you”
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