48 pages 1 hour read

Thomas Hardy

The Woodlanders

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1887

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapters 9-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 9 Summary

Giles sees Mr. Melbury walking across his yard and approaches him. He asks if the Melburys will visit his house the day after next. However, out of a “self-deprecatory sense of living on a much smaller scale than the Melburys” (59), Giles does not tell them that it is to be “a gathering of any importance” (59). Nor does he mention a time. Thus, believing it to be merely a casual meeting, the Melburys show up early on the day of the party. They thereby catch Giles and his helper, Robert Creedle, in the middle of preparing food for the party and not remotely ready to receive guests.

Chapter 10 Summary

Unfortunately, things do not get much better for Giles. Despite the good quality of the food and drink offered, Grace is splashed by one of Creedle’s desserts as he serves it. They are then forced to play cards with old sets, as the new ones are monopolized by two boisterous local guests playing their own game. Grace does not dance to the band that Giles has booked from Great Hintock either, because she has forgotten the traditional Hintock dances. Finally, as the Melburys are walking home, they hear the two other guests singing a crude song about a maid.

Related Titles

By Thomas Hardy

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
Thomas Hardy
Guide cover placeholder