The Woodlanders is a novel by Thomas Hardy , first published in 1887. It's set in a fictional rural area called Little Hintock, and explores the themes of social class, marriage, and nature, typical of Hardy's works. The story revolves around the life of Giles Winterborne, a woodlander and apple grower, who is in love with Grace Melbury. Grace, however, has been raised to a higher social class by her education and her father's aspirations. This social climbing creates conflicts between her true desires and her societal obligations. Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wordsworth. He was highly critical of much in Victorian society, especially on the declining status of rural people in Britain such as those from his native South West England.