We rely on your support to help us keep producing beautiful, free, and unrestricted editions of literature for the digital age. Will you support our efforts with a donation ? Young Elfride falls in love for the first time with an architect who is sent to make plans to renovate the local church. She supposes Stephen to be a professional man from London, but finds he comes from more humble origins. Stephen must go away and make something of himself before he can claim her. Circumstances change in his absence, and Elfride must decide if she will keep her pledge to marry Stephen. A Pair of Blue Eyes is Thomas Hardy's third novel, and the first one to bear his real name when it was first published. The novel was first published as a serial, and the "cliffhanger" is supposed to have been named after a scene in which a character is left hanging over the edge of a cliff—while readers are left waiting for the next chapter to be serialized. Thomas Hardy (died 1928) was a major literary figure of the early 20th century. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. As a work of classic literary fiction, A Pair Of Blue Eyes exemplifies the narrative craft and social insight that defined great storytelling of its era. Literary fiction of this period was characterized by careful attention to character psychology, social milieu, and the moral questions that animated public discourse.
