THE THOMAS HARDY
ASSOCIATION
LINKS
| A 155 |
DIRECTOR: ROBERT SCHWEIK
© 1999-2002
SPARK NOTES
DESCRIPTION:
Address: http://www.sparknotes.com/
Contact: Unidentified (webmaster@staff.thespark.com)
Date: 06/01/02
A commercial site that combines advertising with various services, including study guides for The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Return of the Native and for Tess of the d'Urbervilles. These guides consist of a brief overview followed by a more detailed summary in segments covering groups of chapters, with brief critical comment, and study questions; also included are a message board, a chat room, and "Further Reading."
COMMENT:
The preparers of these guides are named and pictures supplied, but are not otherwise identified. The overview, summaries, and study questions are done in the manner of Cliffs Notes; the message board and chat room also primarily serve the needs of students seeking shortcuts to fulfill class assignments, but many submissions are more coherent and informed than are common for such message boards and may be contrived. "Further Reading" provides in each case only one citation to a cheap paperback edition of the novel.