Student Companion to Thomas Hardy

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

In the mid- late 1800s and early 1900s, Thomas Hardy produced a plethora of eclectic works that were considered too candid and even sacrilegious for their time. Hardy's publishing of fiction, drama, poetry, and the short story ranks him with Shakespeare, one of few other authors in the English language to write major works in more than one literary genre. Growing up, Hardy apprenticed as an architect but soon realized his true calling was writing. He based much of his work on his homeland and local culture in England, creating the fictional county of Wessex, the setting for most of his works. This companion explores the life of Hardy, examining his career and most important works. Ideal for high school and undergraduate students, as well as readers with a general interest in Hardy's life and works, this book takes a close look at Hardy's unconventional works and why he ultimately decided to abandon novel-writing in favor of his first love-poetry.

Reviews

[A] clear and concise introduction to Hardy and his work, a worthy addition to this fine series. * ARBA *
This title's stated intent is to provide accessible criticism for students as an alternative to the abundance of highly academic literary critcism available on Hardy.[t]his will prove a useful tool where Hardy's work is studied. * School Library Journal *
Combining synopses of the texts (Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure and a selection of poems) and accessible critical reviews, this addresses the needs of the nonspecialist and general reader while giving students up to the early undergraduate level sufficient background and resources to study further. Each contains an introduction, a review of the plot and structure, descriptions of settings as well as major and minor characters, themes, symbols, allusions, figurative language, setting, a review of criticism along with alternative readings, commentary on the development of Hardy's Wessex, biographical material, and a bibliography. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Rosemarie Morgan, editor and publisher of the annual Hardy Review, has taught at Yale University since 1984 and is currently holding a research fellowship. She is president of the Hardy Association, vice president of the Hardy Society, editorial consultant to Rivista di Studi Vittoriani, Years Work essayist for Victorian Poetry and has published the holograph manuscript of Far From the Madding Crowd as well as essays on Charlotte Bronte, Toni Morrison, Mary Chestnut, and women writers of the American Frontier. Her major works are Women and Sexuality in the Novels of Thomas Hardy (1988) and Cancelled Words (1992).