Project Gutenberg 2002-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 199 Hardy, Thomas 1840 1928 A Group of Noble Dames Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Group_of_Noble_Dames The first Countess of Wessex -- Barbara, of the house of Grebe -- The Marchioness of Stonehenge -- Lady Mottisfont -- The Lady Icenway -- Squire Petrick's lady -- Anna Lady Baxby -- The Lady Penelope -- The Duchess of Hamptonshire -- The Honorable Laura. Transcribed from the 1920 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price "A Group of Noble Dames" by Thomas Hardy is a collection of interconnected stories written during the late 19th century. The work explores the lives and experiences of several noble women in the fictional county of Wessex, reflecting on themes such as societal expectations, gender roles, and personal choice. Central to the narratives is the character of Betty, daughter of Squire Dornell, whose struggle with her arranged marriage and personal desires unravels throughout the tales. The opening of the book introduces the turbulent family dynamics at King's-Hintock Court, where young Betty becomes embroiled in a heated dispute between her parents over her betrothal. As she overhears their arguments, a picture is painted of parental ambition clashing with a child's innocence, setting the stage for Betty's subsequent attempts to assert her will while being manipulated by her mother and pressured by her father. The contrast between Betty's sheltered childhood and the adult marital decisions made on her behalf encapsulates the central conflict of the collection, foreshadowing the challenges she will ultimately face as she matures in a society that limits her autonomy. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 65.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Wessex (England) -- Fiction Nobility -- Great Britain -- Fiction Women -- England -- Fiction PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: Novels Category: British Literature 443936 2025-08-02T05:20:52.554196 text/html 451481 2009-03-24T18:28:53 text/html 240142 2025-08-02T05:21:00.189142 application/epub+zip 246089 2025-08-02T05:20:55.378194 application/epub+zip 228169 2025-08-02T05:20:54.157192 application/epub+zip 433677 2025-08-02T05:21:03.889187 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 409731 2025-08-02T05:20:59.533147 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 365978 2022-09-02T07:15:51.414268 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 417340 2025-08-02T05:20:51.964192 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 417107 2009-03-24T18:29:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19294 2025-08-02T05:21:04.026134 application/rdf+xml 13811 2025-08-02T05:20:54.735165 image/jpeg 3951 2025-08-02T05:20:54.410167 image/jpeg 165349 2009-03-24T18:29:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 160629 2009-03-24T18:29:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 236404 2025-08-02T05:20:52.594217 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia