ThomasHardy(1840-1928)ContentsHardy’slife1.Hardy’sworks2.Featuresofhisnovels3.TessoftheD’urbervilles4.DiscussionofTess5.PartIHardy’slifeThomasHardywasbornatHigherBockhampton,DorsetonJune2,1840,wherehisfatherworkedasabuilder.Fromhisfatherhegainedanappreciationofmusic,andfromhismotheranappetiteforlearningandthedelightsofthecountrysideabouthisruralhome.ChildhoodHardywasfrailasachild,anddidnotstartatthevillageschooluntilhewas8.OneyearlaterhetransferredtoanewschoolinthecountytownofDorchester.At16hewasapprenticedtoalocalarchitect.AdulthoodHardylatermovedtoLondontoworkasanarchitect.Hebeganwriting,buthispoemswererejectedbyanumberofpublishers.AlthoughheenjoyedlifeinLondon,Hardy'shealthwaspoor,andhewasforcedtoreturntoDorset.PicturesofHardyMarriageFirst:in1874----EmmaGifford,sister-in-lawofavicar,diedin1912Second:in1914---FlorenceDugdale,hissecretary,awomanalmost40yearsyoungerthanhim.DeathAfterhisfirstwife’sdeath,Hardywasstrickenwithguiltandremorse,buttheresultwassomeofhisbestpoetry,expressinghisfeelingsforhiswifeof38years.•ThomasHardydiedonJan.11,1928athishouseofMaxGateinDorchester.•HewishedtobeburiedbesideEmmainStinsfordchurchyard,buthiswisheswereonlypartlyregarded.•HisbodywasinterredinPoet'sCorner,WestminsterAbbey,andonlyhisheartwasburiedinEmma'sgraveatStinsford.DidYouKnow?ArumourhaspersistedsinceHardy'sdeaththatitisnottheauthor'sheartthatwasburiedbesideEmma(hiswife).•ThestorygoesthatHardy'shousekeeperplacedhisheartonthekitchentable,whereitwaspromptlydevouredbyhiscat.Apparentlyapig'sheartwasusedtoreplaceHardy'sown.Truth?Fiction?Wewillprobablyneverknow.Hardy’slifeHardycouldreadbeforeheenteredthenewschoolatLowerBockhampton.bornontheEgdonHeath,inDorset,nearDorchester.HardywastransferredtoaprivateschoolinDorchester.184018481849:::HardymovedtoLondontotakeupmoreadvancedarchitecturalwork.Hewrotemanypoems,butfailedtogetanypublished.HardyworkedwithDorchesterarchitectJohnHicks.ReturningtoDorset,HardyassistedHicksinchurchrestorations.1856186218671870:HardytravelledtoSt.Juliottoplantherestorationofthelocalparishchurch;herehemetEmmaLaviniaGifford1879:HardyatworkonTheTrumpetMajor.1881:HardymovedtoWimborne.1874:ThomasHardymarriesEmmaGifford1883:theHardysmovedtoDorchester,decidingtobuildahousethere1896:HisgrowingfinancialindependenceledHardytoreturntohisfirstlove,poetry1912:EmmaHardydied1884:HardywasworkingonTheMayorofCasterbridge1914:marriedtoyoungFlorenceDugdale1928:HardydiesatMaxGateQuestion:WhatishispositiononthehistoryofEnglishLiterature?OneofthemostimportantnovelistsintheVictorianEraandthefirstimportantpoetinthe20thcentury.Englishpoetandregionalnovelist,whoseworksdepicttheimaginarycountyWessex(Dorset).Inmanyrespects,Hardywastrappedinthemiddlegroundbetweenthenineteenthandtwentiethcenturies,betweenVictoriansensibilitiesandmoremodernones,andbetweentraditionandinnovation.PartIIHardy’sworksHardy'scareeraswriterspannedoverfiftyyears.HisearliestbooksappearedwhenAnthonyTrollope(1815-82)wrotehisPalliserseries,andhepublishedpoetryinthedecadeofT.S.Eliot'sTheWasteLand.Hardy'sworkreflectedhisstoicalpessimismandsenseoftragedyinhumanlife.Question:Whatarehisrepresentativeworks?Tessofthed'Urbervilles…...JudetheObscureFarFromtheMaddingCrowdUndertheGreenwoodTreeDesperateRemediesNovelsfirstnovelaboutcountrylifefirstpublishednovelfirstmasterpieceTheWessexThomasHardywasborninDorset,aruralregionofsouthwesternEnglandthatwastobecomethefocusofhisfiction.TheWessexofThomasHardy’snovelsandpoems:AboutWessex1.nameofaplace2.naturalsceneryofWessex3.writingstyleoflocal-color4.figuresinWessex5.imaginativeWessexWessexPoemsWessexPoems,1898PoemsofthePastandPresent,1901TheDynasts,PartFirst,1904TheDynasts,PartSecond,1906TheDynasts,PartThird,1908Time'sLaughingstocks,1909SatiresofCircumstance,1914MomentsofVision,1917LateLyricsandEarlier,1922HumanShows,1925WinterWords,1928WessexnovelsInhisWessexnovels,thereisanapparentnostalgictouchinhisdescriptionofthesimpleandbeautifulthoughprimitiverurallife,whichwasgraduallydeclininganddisappearingasEnglandwasmarchingfastintoanindustrialcountry.Andwiththosetraditionalcharactershewasalwayssympatheticandmournsovertheirfailureandmisfortune.Hardy'sworkreflectedhisstoicalpessimismandsenseoftragedyinhumanlife.TheMayorofCasterbridgeHardy’sMajorworksPoetry:1898:Hardypublishedhisfirstbookofverse,WessexPoems1902:TheDynasts,indramaticblankverse,waspublished1914:AChangedManandOtherTaleswaspublishedNovels:1871:HardypublishedthesensationnovelDesperateRemedies1872:UndertheGreenwoodTreewaspublished1873:APairofBlueEyeswaspublished1874:FarFromtheMaddingCrowdwaspublished1875:TheHandofEthelbertawaspublished1878:TheReturnoftheNativebeganinserial1880:TheTrumpet-Majorbeganinserial1882:TwoonaTowerwaspublished1885:TheMayorofCasterbridgewasfinished1891:TessoftheD'Urbervillesbeganitsserialrun1894:Life'sLittleIronieswaspublished1895:JudetheObscurewaspublishedinbookform1897:TheWell-BelovedwaspublishedStories:1865:HowIBuiltMyHouse---Hardy'sfirstpublishedworkandfirstshortstory---appearedinChamber'sJournal,1