The Return of the Native was controversial in its day, causing quite a stir when it first appeared in the January-December 1878 issues of the magazine Belgravia, a publication known for its sensationalism. Because of the novel's risqué themes, author Thomas Hardy had difficulty finding a publisher. Today, The Return of the Native is one of Hardy's most popular novels.

The Return of the Native was filmed for television in 1994 starring Catherine Zeta Jones as Eustacia Vye, Clive Owen as Damon Wildeve, Ray Stevenson as Clym Yeobright, and Joan Plowright as Mrs. Yeobright. In 2010 an adaptation of The Return of the Native was directed by Ben Westbrook. It is set in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1930s during The Great Depression. The novel has also been adapted for the stage several times.