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English Literature Author: Thomas Hardy
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by Piotr Gwiazda
University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
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More About Thomas Hardy...
Thomas Hardy
1840-1928
British
Introduction
Novelist, poet, dramatist, and short story writer, Thomas Hardy initially pursued a career in architecture, which he gave up after the success of his novel Far from the Madding Crowd in 1874. Today he is most remembered for his character novels, in which he portrays the individual human struggle against indifferent forces of nature and fate. His novels are concerned with presenting human tragedy at its fullest, often providing realistic observations of the human and natural worlds, combining deep psychological insight and strong symbolic accents. His work often defies the rigors of Victorian morality; many critics and reviewers accused Hardy of pessimism and immorality, but nothing could match the hostile reception of Tess of the D'Urbervilles in 1891 and Jude the Obscure in 1895. Disturbed by charges of obscenity and an overall negative reception of his novels, Hardy gave up fiction and began writing poetry, which he considered a superior form of art. His wife Emma Gifford's death in 1912 produced some of his most moving poems, collected in Satires of Circumstance. Although his subsequent eight poetry collections as well as stories and verse dramas did not bring him the same kind of notoriety as his novels, Hardy received many honorary degrees and public tributes, including the gold medal of the Royal Society of Literature, before he died at the age of 88. He was buried in the Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Major Works
Novels:
- 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)
Verse Drama:
- The Dynasts (1904-08)
Poems:
- Collected Poems (1930)
Chronology
1840
Thomas Hardy born in Higher Bockhampton,
Dorset, a hamlet three miles from the county town of Dorchester. He is the
eldest son of Thomas Hardy and Jemima Hand.
1848
Hardy begins attending Julia Martin's
school in Bockhampton. Visits London for the first time.
1856
Hardy is articled to the local architect
and church-restorer John Hicks. He meets and studies with classical scholar
Horace Moule, going through the Greek dramatists under his tutelage.
1865
Hardy publishes his first article,
"How I Built Myself a House, " in Chambers' Journal.
1870
Hardy travels to St. Juliot, Cornwall, to
work on the restoration of the church. Here he meets his future wife, Emma
Lavinia Gifford.
1871
His first novel, Desperate
Remedies, is published.
1873
A Pair of Blue Eyes is published.
Hardy now relinquishes architecture as a career to write full time.
1874
Far from the Madding Crowd appears
serially in the Cornhill Magazine. In September Hardy marries Emma,
travels to Paris, and sets up house in London.
1878
The Return of the Native is
published (with a map). Hardy begins to experience life as a celebrity.
1883
Hardy designs and supervises construction
of his Dorchester home, Max Gate.
1886
The Mayor of Casterbridge is
published soon after Hardy moves into Max Gate.
1888
Wessex Tales, Hardy's first
collection of short stories, is published.
1891
There is an uproar after the publication
of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, the novel of the seduction and eventual
downfall of a young peasant girl.
1896
Jude the Obscure is published. Hardy
decides to give up writing novels.
1898
Hardy's first volume of poems, Wessex
Poems, appears.
1904
Part One of The Dynasts, an
extended verse-play about Napoleon, appears. Hardy intends it as his
masterpiece. The final third installment of the drama will not be published
until 1908.
1912
A "definitive " edition of
Hardy's works, the Wessex Edition, is published. It is a chance for Hardy to
thoroughly revise his body of work. The year ends on a low note, though, as
Emma suddenly dies on November 27.
1914
Satires of Circumstance is
published. It contains the "Poems of 1912-13, " written in memory
of Emma. In the same year he marries Florence Dugdale.
1925
In addition to composing and publishing
poems, Hardy works on his autobiography, which will be published
posthumously.
1928
Hardy dies on January 11. His ashes are
buried in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey, and his heart is buried in Emma's
grave. His last volume of poems, Winter Words, is published
posthumously.
Piotr Gwiazda is an assistant professor of English at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he teaches twentieth-century American and British poetry.
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