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Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Who?
A novelist whose beautiful but tragic rural dramas are full of poetic sensibility and a deep sensuousness.
Must reads
Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the D'Ubervilles (1891) and Jude the Obscure (1896).
Darkest hour
Publication of Jude the Obscure was greeted with outrage, with the bishop of Wakefield burning a copy, so Hardy abandoned novel-writing for poetry, publishing Wessex Poems in 1898.
Greatest triumph
Public honours such as the Order of Merit, honorary degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, plus a visit from the Prince of Wales. He also received the Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Literature. His influence has been acknowledged by poets such as Philip Larkin.
Essential quotes
'Ah, stirring times we live in – stirring times.' (Far from the Madding Crowd)
'The sea changed, the fields changed, the rivers, the villages, and the people changed, yet Egdon [heath] remained.' (The Return of the Native)
'''Justice'' was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.' (Tess of the D'Ubervilles)
'Done because we were too menny.' (Jude the Obscure)
Gossip
At the age of 26, Hardy fell in love with his 16-year-old cousin Tryphena Sparks. Later, the suicide of his closest friend Horace Moule affected Hardy's writing deeply.
Did u know?
Hardy grew up in Dorset, the 'Wessex' where most of his novels are set, and at heart he was a poet deeply attached to rural customs.
What to say
Along with Henry James, Hardy represents a departure from the familiar forms of the Victorian novel. His characters are often alienated from their society and never really reintegrate within it. He was a sharp observer of nature and morals.
Don't say
Jude the Obscene.
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