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.