Thomas Hardy
1840-1928
“Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.”
Novelist and Poet
First known as a
novelist, Hardy’s
novels capture the
flavor of life in rural
Dorset, as well as the
inner lives of his
memorable characters
Early Life
Childhood
Born in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset on
June 2,1840.
Eldest child of builder, Thomas Hardy II
and his wife, Jemima Hand.
Three more children followed him.
The young Hardy was deeply influenced by
the natural world around him.
Education and Profession
Hardy attended local school until he was
apprenticed to a Dorchester architect at 15.
After six years apprenticeship, Hardy went
to London in 1861.
Hardy read widely in London and became
interested in fiction and poetry while
practicing architecture.
Return to Dorset
Hardy returned to
Dorset as an architect
and builder.
He continued to write,
and by 1871 had
published his first
novel.
He married Emma
Gifford in 1874.
Major Novels
Under the Greenwood Tree 1872
A Pair of Blue Eyes 1873
Far from the Madding Crowd 1874
The Return of the Native 1878
The Mayor of Casterbridge 1886
Tess of the D’Urbervilles 1891
Jude the Obscure 1896
Why did he stop writing novels?
The subject matter of Hardy’s novels, which
to modern eyes seems pretty tame, outraged
many Victorians.
Jude the Obscure was deemed “Jude the
Obscene” and was publicly burned by the
Bishop of Wakefield.
Henry James said it was a disgusting book
on a disgusting subject.
So…
Public perception about Hardy’s view of
marriage and religion caused a huge outcry
and widened rifts between Hardy and his
wife, Emma.
He was widely condemned in the papers
and in critical writing.
After Jude, Hardy writes only poetry and
some drama.
Major Themes in Hardy
Man’s impotence against greater forces—of
nature, of society, of his own impulses.
A shaken, if not completely fractured view
of the relationship between humans and
God.
Pessimism? Hardy prefers the term
“meliorism,” that is the belief that the word
CAN be made better by human effort.
More Hardy themes
Sadness?
Waste and frustration?
Naturalism
An overwhelming feeling of irony
“Life’s Little Ironies” published in 1894
Emma Gifford Hardy
At first, the Hardys
seemed to have a
happy marriage, but
they drifted seriously
apart.
They had no children,
and Hardy, though
probably physically
faithful, had a
wandering eye.
Emma Hardy in later years
Emma came to resent
Hardy’s growing fame
as well as the demands
that put on their
marriage.
She died in 1912, and
Hardy mourned her
forever, it seems.
The “Emma poems”
are among his finest.
Thomas and Florence
In 1914, Hardy
married Florence
Dugdale, his long-time
secretary. (1879-1937)
He is 39 years older
than her.
Hardy dies in 1928.