After the dramatic series of arrivals and events at the Knap on marriage engagement night in Part 1, the triangle of relationships between Sally Hall, her ex sister-in-law Helena, and Farmer Charles Darton becomes tangled still further by marriage, death, and more courtship interloping.

The path to an eventual denouement highlights the problematic position of women in 19th Century Victorian society, reflecting protofeminist themes that are present in many of Hardy’s major works.

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