Mayor of Casterbridge - Bedtime English Learning Reader IV (Pure English Version)

Author: Mao Ronggui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features:
Optical a few dry English sentences are not enough. Don't always put the purpose of reading in improving English. Reading is primarily about absorbing knowledge, and in the process of absorbing knowledge, language is naturally absorbed. Using English thinking is a realm that many English learners hope to achieve, because it is the foundation for expressing ideas fluently in English. For a Chinese student living in a non-English environment, it is indeed very difficult to think partly or entirely in English, but it is not an unattainable goal. From my own experience in learning English, I have found that persistent extensive reading is one of the most effective ways to achieve this goal.
He Qixin (Vice President and Doctoral Supervisor of Beijing Foreign Studies University) especially recommends English easy readers for beginners and intermediate learners. The materials should be easy to understand, with a strong sense of story, and the reading speed should be as fast as possible. The more you read, the better. This is a proven and effective method for learning English.
Hu Wenzhong (Professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University) "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, becomes wealthy, and rises from an unknown to the mayor's throne, but ultimately suffers the misfortune of his own character and dies in poverty and solitude.
Young Michael Henchard was a hay cutter, honest and kind. Once, 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, vowed never to touch alcohol for twenty years, and later, through hard work, 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 died 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 treat Elizabeth-Jane coldly. 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 a rival to Henchard in both business and love. Bankruptcy and humiliation threw him into a miserable state, and his scandalous act of selling his wife also spread. In his desperate situation, he worked for Farfrae to support himself. Elizabeth-Jane became his only comfort. But good times did not last long. Newson returned and reunited with his daughter Elizabeth-Jane. At Elizabeth-Jane's wedding to Farfrae, he was treated coldly. Thus, he quietly left Casterbridge and died a tragic death in solitude.