Karl Swindlehurst Melancholy of the German Hussars

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Karl Swindlehurst Melancholy of the German Hussars

I have currently been studying three short stories. The first of the

three short story’s The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion is one

of seven stories from the “Wessex Tales” . The genre of this story

is generally based around love and issues and consequences related to

love, and also distresses the complications and coincidences within

the love story. The story itself has three main characters in which a

love triangle is formed. Phyllis, Humphrey and Mateus are the main

characters in which Phyllis was engaged to Humphrey through an agreed

marriage arranged by both Humphrey and her father. However that

engagement breaks down when Humphrey goes to Bath on a trip which

lasted longer than both Phyllis and her father had expected. In this

time Phyllis had meet a man named Mateus. Mateus was a corporal in

the German Hussars and both Mateus and Phyllis fall in love. The plot

is based around the love of Phyllis and Mateus and also how the plan

of Mateus going AWOL falling to pieces, and the build up to his death.

Mateus and Humphrey are entirely different to each other in a sense of

character looks, actions, and general attitude towards Phyllis. We

first get a description of Humphrey around line 56, “ Interests within

the Court - was one Humphrey Gould a bachelor a personage neither

young nor old; neither good-looking nor positively plain” The

description is detailed yet vague, it leaves very much to be desired,

“ neither young nor old” it’s very bland, imprecise James Hardy is

suggesting he is of middle age. In this short description we can

devise a brief image of Humphrey.

Around line 107 we are introduced with the interesting character of

Mateus. “ Her attention was arrested by a solitary figure walking

along the path” the introduction that James Hardy has chosen is

rather different to Humphrey maybe suggesting in an early stage in the

story that he is more important. “ It’s aspect was so striking, so

handsome, and his eyes were so blue and sad, abstracted.” The

description is of more beauty compared to Humphrey’s suggesting quite

obviously Mateus is the better looking man. The acquaintance of

Phyllis by both men were distinctively different. Humphrey approached

Dr. Grove Phyllis father for her hand in marriage, Humphrey having

come from a highly respected family Dr. Grove was overwhelmed, and saw

this as an great opportunity for his family. Mateus’ s meeting with

Phyllis differed to Humphreys. He was simply walking past and they

both noticed each other, on the whole a more romantic meeting.

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