Casterbridge Mayor · Bed Lamp. 4: English Learning Reader

Author: Wang Ruoping, et al. (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This series of readers is written by American authors and is composed of 3,300 of the most commonly used words. The language is modern, authentic, and standard. It is genuine and easy to understand. You can enjoy learning English without looking up a dictionary while lying in bed. The novels feature people, their eating, drinking, and daily activities, as well as their emotions, desires, and the complex relationships between individuals. They also explore the conflicts and harmonies between people and nature or society. From the perspective of language acquisition, this series achieves the goal of using 3,300 basic words to meticulously describe and explain the details of life and the rich inner world of people. By immersing yourself in an English novel, you are essentially living in an "English world," which is the best way for Chinese learners to overcome the lack of an English-speaking environment. Simply reading a few textbooks to learn English is unrealistic. This series selects 50 outstanding literary works from abroad that are worth reading in your lifetime. Reading these works not only helps you master English but also accumulates Western culture and enhances your personal taste and refinement. This series truly helps you achieve a lifestyle of learning English! You can read 20 books in a year, 40 books in two years. After reading 40 books, it is equivalent to living in an English-speaking environment for two years, which will definitely enable you to develop strong English proficiency. Remember, without millions of words of English input, it is impossible to learn English well. The Mayor of Casterbridge is an important novel written by Thomas Hardy in 1886. The story takes place in 19th-century England. The protagonist, Michael Henchard, works hard and becomes wealthy, rising from an unknown individual to the mayor's throne. However, due to his character flaws, he is ultimately doomed by fate and dies in poverty and solitude.
Young Michael Henchard was a hay cutter, an honest and kind man. One night, after drinking too much, he sold his wife and daughter to a sailor named Newson for a mere few guineas. Upon sobering up, he regretted his actions deeply, swearing to abstain from alcohol for twenty years. Later, through hard work, he built a successful business, gained respect, and even became the Mayor of Casterbridge. Eighteen years later, when he decided to marry his lover Lucetta, his ex-wife appeared. Believing her sailor husband had drowned at sea, she brought her daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, to find Henchard. Thus, he reunited with his ex-wife. However, due to his jealousy and exclusion of his business partner, Farfrae, as well as his stubborn and obstinate nature, his business failed, and he lost his mayoral position. After his ex-wife's death, he unexpectedly discovered that his daughter Elizabeth-Jane was not his biological child. This caused him great distress, and he began to neglect her. She had no choice but to move out and live with Lucetta, Henchard's old lover. Lucetta, who had originally planned to marry Henchard, later fell in love with Farfrae and married him. Farfrae became both a business and romantic rival to Henchard. Bankruptcy and humiliation left him in a miserable state, and his scandalous act of selling his wife also became public knowledge. Stricken and desperate, he worked for Farfrae to support himself. Elizabeth-Jane became his only solace. But his luck did not last long. Newson returned and reunited with his daughter Elizabeth-Jane. At Elizabeth-Jane's wedding to Farfrae, he was treated with coldness. He quietly left Casterbridge and died in solitude and misery.