Thomas Hardy was part of the English naturalist movement. He wrote short stories, novels, and poetry. In The Woodlanders romance and social class become entangled in nineteenth-century England. Little Hintock is a small woodland village. Giles Winterborne wants to marry his childhood sweetheart, Grace. Grace's father has given Grace a good education and no longer feels Giles is suitable for his daughter. When Edred Fitzpiers, a young doctor, comes to town, Grace's father tries to make Grace forget about Giles. Grace marries the doctor and soon things go wrong. The doctor has an affair with a rich window. Grace turns to Giles for help.