The Mayor of Casterbridge Author:Thomas Hardy The Mayor of Casterbridge is set in Wessex, England, shortly before 1830. It tells the story of Michael Henchard, an itinerant laborer who, in a moment of drunken despair, sold his wife at auction. After Henchard had become prosperous, this act came to haunt him, and finally to destroy him. This story of retribution is one of the great novels... more » of the English language.« less