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
ChildhoodBorn 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 ProfessionHardy 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 DorsetHardy 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 NovelsUnder the Greenwood Tree 1872A Pair of Blue Eyes 1873Far from the Madding Crowd 1874The Return of the Native 1878The Mayor of Casterbridge 1886Tess of the D’Urbervilles 1891Jude 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 HardyMan’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?NaturalismAn overwhelming feeling of irony“Life’s Little Ironies” published in 1894
Emma Gifford HardyAt 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 yearsEmma 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 FlorenceIn 1914, Hardy
married Florence Dugdale, his long-time secretary. (1879-1937)
He is 39 years older than her.
Hardy dies in 1928.