The Withered Arm

Book excerpt: Milkmaid Rhoda Brooks cannot control her jealousy of Gertrude - a beautiful woman who has just married a rich farmer. So when Gertrude appears in her dream she cannot help but reach out and grab the arm of the woman she wishes she was. As Gertrude's arm begins to wither away in real life and no physicians are able to give her a solution, she must turn to a conjurer. Considered one of Hardy's most successful short stories, 'The Withered Arm' is unmissable for those who enjoyed the suspense of Edgar Allen Poe's 'A Tell-Tale Heart Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was an architect by trade, but he is best remembered for the major contributions that he made to the literary world. He wrote both novels and poetry and was famed for his pessimistic outlook. The most notable of his works include 'Jude The Obscure', 'Far from the Madding Crowd', and 'Tess of the d'Ubervilles'. His gloomy prose is ideal for fans of Dickens, Defoe, and Keats.