[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-320457-105":3,"doc-detail-320457-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":98},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","the-hand-of-ethelberta-read-online","The Hand of Ethelberta - read online","","A light, deliberately “somewhat frivolous” narrative by Thomas Hardy that reframes social life through servants as central figures, often viewing drawing-room scenes from the servants’ side. The preface outlines its comedic aim and expects readers to accept incidents with a good-natured spirit rather than seek strict probability. It traces Ethelberta’s background—education, relationships, and the consequences of marriage and family tragedies—setting up a drama of class reversal and human consistency.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/","Story & Novel",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-hand-of-ethelberta-read-online/320457/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-hand-of-ethelberta-read-online/320457.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Valentina","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-21",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the narrative style and purpose described in the preface?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The preface presents the story as an interlude with a comedic subtitle, asking readers to accept the incidents in a good-natured spirit rather than demand a high degree of probability.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the novel’s perspective differ from typical social dramas?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It deliberately reverses the social foreground by treating servants as important as, or more important than, their masters, with drawing-room scenes often sketched from the servants’ hall perspective.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Who is Ethelberta, and what early misfortunes shape her life?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Ethelberta is introduced as a woman whose education and relationships follow a chain of social advancement, culminating in marriage and subsequent deaths that lead Lady Petherwin to pardon everyone and place her for further schooling.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},320457,1792199314,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":22,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":91,"language":92,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":93,"faqs":94,"seo_title":95,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":96,"read_time":97},13056703020460,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/be000253dac470eee5d?_k=1778207105932848923","The Hand of Ethelberta, by Thomas Hardy  \nThe Project Gutenberg eBook , The Hand of Ethelberta , by Thomas Hardy  \nThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever . You may copy it , give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at [www.gutenberg.net](www.gutenberg.net)  \nTitle : The Hand of Ethelberta  \nAuthor : Thomas Hardy  \nRelease Date : October 28 , 2004 [ eBook \\#3469]  \nLanguage : English  \nCharacter set encoding : ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)  \n*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAND OF ETHELBERTA***  \nThis eBook was produced from the 1907 Macmillan and Co. edition by Les Bowler, St. Ives, Dorset.  \nTHE HAND OF ETHELBERTA—A COMEDY IN CHAPTERS by Thomas Hardy.  \n“Vitae post-scenia celant.”—Lucretius.  \nPREFACE  \nThis somewhat frivolous narrative was produced as an interlude between stories of a more sober design, and it was given the sub-title of a comedy to indicate—though not quite accurately—the aim of the performance. A high degree of probability was not attempted in the arrangement of the incidents, and there was expected of the reader a certain lightness of mood, which should inform him with a good-natured willingness to accept the production in the spirit in which it was offered. The characters themselves, however, were meant to be consistent and human.  \nOn its first appearance the novel suffered, perhaps deservedly, for what was involved in these intentions—for its quality of unexpectedness in particular—that unforgivable sin in the critic ’s sight—the immediate precursor of ‘Ethelberta ’ having been a purely rural tale. Moreover, in its choice of medium, and line of perspective, it undertook a delicate task: to excite interest in a drama—if such a dignified word may be used in the connection—wherein servants were as important as, or more important than, their masters; wherein the drawing-room was sketched in many cases from the point of view of the servants ’ hall. Such a reversal of the social foreground has, perhaps, since grown more welcome, and readers even of the finer crusted kind may now be disposed to pardon a writer for presenting the sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Chickerel as beings who come within the scope of a congenial regard.  \nT. H.  \nDecember 1895.  \nCONTENTS  \n1. A STREET IN ANGLEBURY—A HEATH NEAR IT—INSIDE THE ‘RED LION’ INN  \n2. CHRISTOPHER’S HOUSE—SANDBOURNE TOWN—SANDBOURNE MOOR  \n3. SANDBOURNE MOOR (continued)  \n4. SANDBOURNE PIER—ROAD TO WYNDWAY—BALLROOM IN WYNDWAY HOUSE  \n5. AT THE WINDOW—THE ROAD HOME  \n6. THE SHORE BY WYNDWAY  \n7. THE DINING-ROOM OF A TOWN HOUSE—THE BUTLER’S PANTRY  \n8. CHRISTOPHER’S LODGINGS—THE GROUNDS ABOUT ROOKINGTON  \n9. A LADY’S DRAWING-ROOMS—ETHELBERTA’S DRESSING-ROOM  \n10. LADY PETHERWIN’S HOUSE  \n11. SANDBOURNE AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD—SOME LONDON STREETS  \n12. ARROWTHORNE PARK AND LODGE  \n13. THE LODGE (continued)—THE COPSE BEHIND  \n14. ATURNPIKE ROAD  \n15. AN INNER ROOM AT THE LODGE  \n16. A LARGE PUBLIC HALL  \n17. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE  \n18. NEAR SANDBOURNE—LONDON STREETS—ETHELBERTA’S  \n19. ETHELBERTA’S DRAWING-ROOM  \n20. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE HALL—THE ROAD HOME  \n21. A STREET—NEIGH’S ROOMS—CHRISTOPHER’S ROOMS  \n22. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE  \n23. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE (continued)  \n24. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE (continued)—THE BRITISH MUSEUM  \n25. THE ROYAL ACADEMY—THE FARNFIELD ESTATE  \n26. ETHELBERTA’S DRAWING-ROOM  \n27. MRS. BELMAINE’S—CRIPPLEGATE CHURCH  \n28. ETHELBERTA’S—MR. CHICKEREL’S ROOM  \n29. ETHELBERTA’S DRESSING-ROOM—MR. DONCASTLE’S HOUSE  \n30. ON THE HOUSETOP  \n31. KNOLLSEA—ALOFTY DOWN—A RUINED CASTLE  \n32. A ROOM IN ENCKWORTH COURT  \n33. THE ENGLISH CHANNEL—NORMANDY  \n34. THE HÔTEL BEAU SÉJOUR, AND SPOTS NEAR IT  \n35. THE HOTEL(continued), AND THE QUAY IN FRONT  \n36. THE HOUSE IN TOWN  \n37. KNOLLSEA—AN ORNAMENTAL VILLA  \n38. ENCKWORTH COURT  \n39. KNOLLSEA—MELCHESTER  \n40. MELCHESTER (continued)  \n41. WORKSHOPS—AN INN—THE STREET  \n42. THE DO","cbCaiqzDyyktivEg","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqzDyyktivEg","pdf",1192034,275,"English","# Contents\n## 1. A Street in Anglebury—A Heath Near It—Inside the ‘Red Lion’ Inn\n## 2. Christopher’s House—Sandbourne Town—Sandbourne Moor\n## 3. Sandbourne Moor (continued)\n## 4. Sandbourne Pier—Road to Wyndway—Ballroom in Wyndway House\n## 5. At the Window—The Road Home\n## 6. The Shore by Wyndway\n## 7. The Dining-Room of a Town House—The Butler’s Pantry\n## 8. Christopher’s Lodgings—The Grounds About Rookington\n## 9. A Lady’s Drawing-Rooms—Ethelberta’s Dressing-Room\n## 10. Lady Petherwin’s House","[{\"question\":\"What is the narrative style and purpose described in the preface?\",\"answer\":\"The preface presents the story as an interlude with a comedic subtitle, asking readers to accept the incidents in a good-natured spirit rather than demand a high degree of probability.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the novel’s perspective differ from typical social dramas?\",\"answer\":\"It deliberately reverses the social foreground by treating servants as important as, or more important than, their masters, with drawing-room scenes often sketched from the servants’ hall perspective.\"},{\"question\":\"Who is Ethelberta, and what early misfortunes shape her life?\",\"answer\":\"Ethelberta is introduced as a woman whose education and relationships follow a chain of social advancement, culminating in marriage and subsequent deaths that lead Lady Petherwin to pardon everyone and place her for further schooling.\"}]","The Hand of Ethelberta - read online | PDF",1789949971,424,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":99},[100,103,107,111,116,120,125,130,135,138,142],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":121,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":122,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":124},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":127,"show_sort_weight":128,"slug":129},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":134},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":137},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":139,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":140,"show_sort_weight":139,"slug":141},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":143,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":144,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":145},19,"General","general"]