Thomas Hardy Criticism
Thomas Hardy's literary contributions extend far beyond his well-known novels, encompassing a wide array of poetry, plays, and short stories that continue to attract scholarly attention. Initially overshadowed by the popularity of his novels, his poetry has recently been revisited for its philosophical depth, as Dan Jacobson discusses in his critical essay. The evolution of Hardy's critical reception is notable; early moral critiques, such as those commented on by Mary Moss, have given way to more nuanced structuralist and poststructuralist interpretations, with Carl J. Weber's work highlighting these shifts. Feminist and deconstructive approaches have enriched the understanding of Hardy's work, emphasizing elements like his use of everyday objects to convey deeper meaning, a point explored by Norman Page. Furthermore, Hardy's narrative technique involving an observer is analyzed by Julie Grossman, showcasing his innovative style.
Hardy's short fiction, encapsulated in collections like Wessex Tales and Life's Little Ironies, offers a varied exploration of human experiences. With narratives ranging from supernatural elements in “The Withered Arm” to the ironic tragedies of “On the Western Circuit,” Hardy intertwines pastoral landscapes with deep reflections on human folly and societal constraints. These stories continue to invite critical engagement, as seen in analyses such as "Diabolical Dames and Grotesque Desires: The Short Stories," which examines Hardy's use of irony, and "Hardy and the Law," which delves into societal themes. John Plotz's examination of Motion Slickness and Angelique Richardson's focus on the Biologization of Romance further underscore the thematic diversity in Hardy's work.
Although often overshadowed by his novels, Hardy's short stories maintain prominence in literary studies for their concentrated exploration of his characteristically pessimistic worldview. Critics like Roger Ebbatson have noted the vibrant depiction of rustic life and the authentic use of rural vernacular, as seen in "‘The Withered Arm’ and History." Jeanette Roberts Shumaker's examination of "Abjection and Degeneration" further attests to the enduring scholarly interest in Hardy's short fiction. Hardy's legacy, characterized by deep thematic exploration and innovative narrative techniques, continues to captivate scholars and readers alike, ensuring that his diverse body of work remains a fertile ground for academic discourse.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Hardy, Thomas (Short Story Criticism)
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Diabolical Dames and Grotesque Desires: The Short Stories
(summary)
In the following essay, Wright considers the role of the erotic in Hardy's short fiction.
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Hardy and the Law
(summary)
In the following essay, Pether examines Hardy's use of legal terminology in his stories.
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‘The Withered Arm’ and History
(summary)
In the following essay, Ebbatson provides some historical background for “The Withered Arm.”
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Motion Slickness: Spectacle and Circulation in Thomas Hardy's ‘On the Western Circuit.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Plotz explores the meaning of technical advances and machinery in Hardy's short fiction, particularly the steam roundabout in “On the Western Circuit.”
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‘How I Mismated Myself for Love of You!’: The Biologization of Romance in Hardy's A Group of Noble Dames
(summary)
In the following essay, Richardson investigates the impact of science—especially ideas of mating and hereditary—on Hardy's A Group of Noble Dames.
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Abjection and Degeneration in Thomas Hardy's ‘Barbara of the House of Grebe.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Shumaker asserts that Hardy illustrates the danger of the Victorian myth of degeneration in “Barbara of the House of Grebe.”
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Diabolical Dames and Grotesque Desires: The Short Stories
(summary)
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Hardy, Thomas (Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism)
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The Novels of Thomas Hardy
(summary)
In the following review of Hardy's novels, Moss urges that Hardy be treated as a universalist and not just a regionalist.
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Homage to Thomas Hardy
(summary)
In the following essay, Chew presents a brief biography and a tribute on the occasion of Hardy's eightieth birthday.
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Hardy: A Wessex Seesaw
(summary)
In the following essay, published during a period of decline in Hardy criticism, Weber urges a reconsideration of Hardy's literary contributions.
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
(summary)
In the following essay, Carpenter offers an overview of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, calling it a story of a peasant girl transformed into universal tragedy.
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
(summary)
In the following essay, Meisel assumes a Freudian orientation in his analysis of Michael Henchard's self-alienation.
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The Return of the Native: Opposites in Tragic Context
(summary)
In the following essay, Kramer examines Hardy's experiments in tragic form in The Return of the Native. The Return of the Native is Hardy's most imitative, most self-conscious, and generally least successful effort at high tragedy. In many ways an impressive novel—in concept of personality, in awareness of the symbolic value of setting—it is probably most accurately thought of as the kind of novel that a determined and self-taught writer had to get out of his system before he could go on to find his own manner.
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‘By Truth Made Free’: A Reassessment of Thomas Hardy
(summary)
In the following review, Hawkins comments on a biography of Hardy and new editions of his prose drama and collected letters.
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Hardy and the ‘world of little things.’
(summary)
In the following essay, Page discusses several ways in which Hardy uses everyday objects to create meaning in his fiction.
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Thomas Hardy and the Role of Observer
(summary)
In the following essay, Grossman examines the observers in Hardy's novels and notes that the observer role is the key link between Hardy's narrative technique and the stories that unfold.
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Hardy's Female Reader
(summary)
In the following essay, Mitchell offers a poststructuralist approach to Hardy's fictional heroines, concluding that the feminist reader of Hardy will necessarily feel ambivalent about his representations of women.
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‘Strange [in] Difference of Sex’: Thomas Hardy, the Victorian Man of Letters, and the Temptations of Androgyny
(summary)
In the following essay, Green addresses the concepts of gender relations and androgyny in A Pair of Blue Eyes and Jude the Obscure.
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Thomas Hardy: The Poet as Philosopher
(summary)
In the following essay, Jacobson states that reviewers have often ignored the sophisticated philosophy which led Hardy to test the limits of the use of language in his poetry.
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How to Be an Old Poet: The Examples of Hardy and Yeats
(summary)
In the following essay, Hynes discusses the ways in which Hardy and William Butler Yeats dealt with old age and how their responses were evident in their poetry.
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Thomas Hardy and Thomas Gray: The Poet's Currency
(summary)
In the following essay, Taylor discusses how Thomas Gray was a key influence in Hardy's aesthetics and thoughts on the public culture, and how Gray's influence convinced Hardy that his highest vocation was not as a novelist, but as a poet.
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Hardy and the Imagery of Place
(summary)
In the following essay, Siebenschuh suggests that Hardy's poetic and fictional vision is closely tied to his symbolic use of the sense of place.
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Hardy and Critical Theory
(summary)
In the following essay, Widdowson presents an overview of critical theory on Hardy, especially in criticism written since the 1960s.
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The Modernity of Thomas Hardy's Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Riquelme deconstructs a number of Hardy's poems in an attempt to define what makes them “modern.”
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Thomas Hardy, Yet and Again
(summary)
In the following essay, Dauner discusses Hardy's poetry, with emphasis on the poet's capacity for lyrical expression of universal emotions.
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‘The Historian of Wessex’: Thomas Hardy's Contribution to History
(summary)
In the following essay, Rogers examines the influence of Hardy on concepts of the history of rural nineteenth-century England.
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Hardy and the Warriors
(summary)
In the following essay, Meyers discusses Hardy's influence on post-World War I poets.
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The Novels of Thomas Hardy
(summary)
- Further Reading