Thomas Hardy
By Mallori Lesh
Overview
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The Life and Times of Thomas Hardy
Novels
Poetry and Drama
The Life and Times of
Thomas Hardy
Young Thomas Hardy
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Born June 2, 1840
Higher Bockhampton,
Dorset
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Father was a mason
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Setting for many of his
novels
Creative, love of music
He had 3 brothers
and sisters
Thomas’ Education
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It was very important to his mother that
Thomas be educated
1848 began school in Lower Bockhampton
1849 transferred to school in Dorchester
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Walked 3 miles each way every day
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Gained a love of the outdoors and detail
Enjoys classes in music, Latin, and dance
Hardy as an Apprentice
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1856-61 Hardy
apprenticed to John
Hicks, an architect
Worked restoring
churches
Made educated friends,
had many discussion
Studied Greek and poetry
with Horace Moule
Hardy as an Architect
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1862 Hardy moves to London to work as an
Architect
Hardy begins writing poetry, but is rejected
Hardy is involved in London’s culture, but is
disillusioned by the social class structure
1870 Hardy reads Darwin, Spencer and Huxley
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Begins to lose his Christian beliefs
Immanent Will- Unfeeling, unthinking force that governs
existence
Hardy is ill, returns to Dorset to work for Hicks
1871-97 The Novelist
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Hardy abandons poetry and
begins to write novels
Publishes Desperate
Remedies and Under the
Greenwood Tree
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Most of his works published
as serials in magazines
1870 Hardy meets Emma
Gifford, his future wife
Home Life
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1874 Hardy marries Emma
Gifford
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Hardy becomes very ill
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She was also a writer,
although none of her work
was very good
Forced to dictate his works
Constantly moves from
home to home
Novels
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Hardy continues to
write novels
1878-Return of the
Native
1881-A Laodicean
1887-The Woodlanders
1888-Wessex Tales
Hardy builds Max Gate,
his own home
Literary Criticism
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Hardy was constantly criticized for his
work
Tess of the d’Urbervilles
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Editors forced Hardy to rewrite
parts of it
Well received, but heavily criticized
Jude the Obscure
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Harsh criticism-considered
blasphemous
Critic G.K. Chesterton wrote that
Hardy “became a sort of village
atheist brooding and blaspheming
over the village idiot”
Because of the criticism, Hardy was
“cured” of his desire to write
novels, and returned to poetry
Hardy’s Marriage
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1892 Hardy’s marriage begins
to become very difficult
Hardy had many beautiful
“pupils” with whom he was in
constant contact
Emma became very jealous of
these relationships
1893 Hardy meets Florence
Henniker in Dublin
1897-1928 The Poet
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Because of the extreme criticism,
Hardy returns to poetry
Poetry collection
 1898 Wessex Poems
published
 Object to “depict the
Wessex country of Thomas
Hardy”
 1901 Poems of the Past and
Present
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Poems about Philosophy,
God’s failure to look after
humanity, women who
were in love with him
Hardy’s Personal Life
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1907 Hardy meets and
begins a relationship with
writer Florence Dugdale
1910 Hardy received the
Order of Merit for
excellence in his field
1912 Emma Hardy
suddenly dies
1914 Hardy marries his
lover Florence Dugdale
Hardy continues to write poetry
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1914 WWI breaks out
Hardy pledges alliance to the Allies
Continues to write poetry
Publishes Satires of Circumstance 1914
Continues Writing
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Moments of Vision 1917
Late Lyrics and Earlier 1922
Human Shows, Far Phantasies, Songs, and Trifles
1925
Hardy’s Death
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1927 becomes very ill
Jan 10, 1928 Hardy dies
He is buried in Poet’s
Corner, Westminster
Abbey
His heart is buried in
Stinsford Churchyard
His final poetic work
Winter Words is
published after his
death
Influences on Hardy’s Writing
Social Class
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Struggle with social
nobility and class
structure
The Poor Man and the
Lady
Jude the Obscure
Limited opportunities
because of his
humble origins
Christianity
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Born into Christian home
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Encountered new religious
ideas, Darwinism
Lost his faith
Confusion and Frustration about
faith
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Acquired parent’s faith
“Hap” “God Forgotten” “God’s
Education”
God’s absolute indifference to
man
Spent his life looking for God
Couldn’t accept God on faith
alone
Censorship
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Victorians had a fear of change,
and criticized works that
challenged their stability
Hardy was influenced by liberal
authors/thinkers
Most novels published serially
Editors always wanted to change
his manuscripts
Tess of the d’Ubervilles
originally titled “Too Late,
Beloved” forced to change it
Hardy attacked for the work
Maligned God, one reviewer
called it “a coarse and
disagreeable story in a coarse
and disagreeable manner”
Censorship concluded
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Hardy wrote “Candour in English
Fiction”
 Spoke out about his difficulties
with censorship
The magazine format doesn’t
“foster the growth of the novel
which reflects and reveals life”
Hardy said “If the author ever
weeps it probably is then, when he
first discovers the fearful price that
he has to pay for the privilege of
writing in the English language.”
Hardy switched to poetry to be able
to express his ideas without
restriction