Thomas Hardy 
Under the Greenwood Tree 

‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ is a pastoral novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1872. Set in the fictional village of Mellstock in Wessex, England, it follows the story of a young and attractive schoolmistress named Fancy Day who comes to the village and turns the heads of many of the local men, including the church choir’s tenor, Dick Dewy. The novel explores themes of love, class, tradition, and the changes brought about by modernization.