A Pair of Blue Eyes is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1873. Set in Cornwall, it tells the story of Elfride Swancourt, a young vicar's daughter with striking blue eyes, torn between two suitors: Stephen Smith, a young man of humble origins, and Henry Knight, an older, sophisticated writer. When Elfride's past is revealed, both men condemn her perceived impurity, exposing Victorian society's double standards regarding class and gender. The novel's famous cliffhanging scene, in which Knight dangles from a cliff, gave rise to the literary term "cliffhanger." A poignant tragicomedy, it explores love, betrayal, and social hypocrisy.
