Introduction


Thomas Hardy
Hardy is considered one of England's greatest novelists. His work resembles that of earlier Victorian novelists in technique, while in subject matter it daringly violated literary traditions of the age. In contrast to the Victorian ideal of progress, Hardy depicted human existence as a tragedy determined by powers beyond the individual's command, in particular the external pressures of society and the internal compulsions of character. His desire to reveal the underlying forces directing the lives of his characters led him to realistically examine love and sexuality in his fiction, a practice that often offended his readers and endangered his literary reputation. -- Thomas Hardy Criticism
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  2. Jude the Obscure Criticism
  3. Jude the Obscure Study Guide
  4. Tess of the d'Urbervilles eText
  5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Lesson Plans
  6. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Study Guide

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. Critical Survey of Drama
  2. Critical Survey of Poetry
  3. Critical Survey of Short Fiction
  4. Cyclopedia of World Authors
  5. Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  6. Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
  7. Far from the Madding Crowd (1997)
  8. Far from the Madding Crowd - Book Review
  9. Far from the Madding Crowd - Literary Characters
  10. Far from the Madding Crowd - Literary Places
  11. Far from the Madding Crowd - Masterplots
  12. Far from the Madding Crowd Criticism
  13. Far From the Madding Crowd Lesson Plans
  14. Far from the Madding Crowd Study Guide
  15. Jude (1996)
  16. Jude the Obscure (1971)
  17. Jude the Obscure - Book Review
  18. Jude the Obscure - Literary Characters
  19. Jude the Obscure - Literary Places
  20. Jude the Obscure - Masterplots
  21. Jude the Obscure Criticism
  22. Jude the Obscure Study Guide
  23. Neutral Tones - Masterplots II: Poetry
  24. Notable British Novelists
  25. Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1998)
  26. Tess of the d'Urbervilles eText
  27. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Lesson Plans
  28. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Study Guide
  29. Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman quickNotes
  30. The Darkling Thrush - Masterplots II: Poetry
  31. The Darkling Thrush Study Guide
  32. The Dynasts - Literary Characters
  33. The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003)
  34. The Mayor of Casterbridge - Book Review
  35. The Mayor of Casterbridge - Literary Characters
  36. The Mayor of Casterbridge - Literary Places
  37. The Mayor of Casterbridge Lesson Plans
  38. The Mayor of Casterbridge Study Guide
  39. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Far from the Madding Crowd
  40. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Jude the Obscure
  41. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman
  42. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on The Return of the Native
  43. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Thomas Hardy
  44. The Return of the Native (1994)
  45. The Return of the Native - Book Review
  46. The Return of the Native - Literary Characters
  47. The Return of the Native - Literary Places
  48. The Return of the Native - Masterplots
  49. The Return of the Native eText
  50. The Return of the Native Study Guide
  51. The Ruined Maid - Masterplots II: Poetry
  52. The Scarlet Tunic (1997)
  53. The Woodlanders - Literary Characters
  54. The Woodlanders - Literary Places
  55. Thomas Hardy - Short Story Criticism
  56. Thomas Hardy - Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism
  57. Thomas Hardy and the Proper Study of Mankind
  58. Under the Greenwood Tree - Literary Characters
  59. Under the Greenwood Tree - Literary Places