Thomas Hardy

AMany Victorians wrote novels to positively represent their era. Women were well behaved, men were suitable, and everyone knew their place in society (structure being very important to Victorians). Hardy was different in that he moved to Realism; representing individuals realistically, including their flaws, struggles, and shortcomings.

ATry to characterize the nature of the love relationships that fill this novel. Are there any true love affairs in the novel? Does the novel even believe in the possibility of these affairs' success? Based on the evidence provided in The Return of the Native, do you think Thomas Hardy has a negative or positive view of human nature? Of the future of civilization? In what ways does Egdon Heath function as an important force--perhaps even another character--within The Return of the Native? Is it a sinister force? Who are the heroes in this novel? Who are the villains? Are there any truly sympathetic characters in the novel? Why or why not? What role do superstition, pagan culture and fantasy play in this novel? In what ways is the novel at times more naturalistic? What is the relationship of the narrator to his characters? (What type of narrator is he? Is he an omniscient narrator? Does he make moral or aesthetic judgments?) In some sense, The Return of the Native can be read a commentary on the conflict between modern ideas and attitudes--represented by the returning native, Clym Yeobright--and the more primitive and pagan attitudes of the heath-dwellers. What do you think is the novel's attitude towards modernity? Is Clym Yeobright portrayed as an admirable character? Does he get what he deserves? What is Hardy's attitude towards the residents of the heath? Does he condescend to them? Does he valorize them?

A"Far from the Madding Crowd" is my favorite Thomas Hardy novel. It's more light-hearted than "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", and I also think that the characters are more interesting and complex. If you're looking for something along the lines of "Tess" - classic, depressing Hardy - I'd recommend "The Mayor of Casterbridge" or "Jude the Obscure".:) Cheers

AWell, they are SET in the Victorian period. And they are written by a Victorian author. So EVERYTHING about them is Victorian. More than that, Thomas Hardy is actively intending to draw the reader's attention to certain elements of Victorian society. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles, for example, Hardy is looking primarily at the Victorian notion of "purity" (look at the subtitle of the novel onwards). In Jude the Obscure, he is looking primarily at how marriage is understood in the Victorian era, and also at the exclusive university system as it stood at that time. In all of Hardy's work he also looks at the decline of the old way of life in the countryside during the Victorian period. Look, for example, at the scene with the threshing machine in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and how this machine is described.But again, even if Thomas Hardy wasn't writing in order to draw our attention to certain aspects of Victorian society, his novels are written by a Victorian author and set in the Victorian period, so EVERYTHING about them is Victorian, through and through. They couldn't be anything else.

ADon't know if he was a feminist or not, but he was in love with a woman who he wasn't allowed to marry and he used her as a character in almost all of his books. Triphena was her name. Not too sure about the spelling on her name, however.

AHardy actually had a lot of birds in his poetry, and I don't have a collected works at hand. I wwonder if it might be "The Darkling Thrush" that you heard -- one of his better known poems. It ends with an "and I" though it isnt a refrain.http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15506

AThey have some for sale on Ebay, or go to a more upper scale liquor store and talk with the manager they might be able to order you some. Some good American alternatives are Old Stock Ale by North Coast Brewing and Hibernation Ale by Great Divide Brewing

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AI'm not sure it exists to be honest. Academics usually know to respect classics authors.

AMy personal favorite is "Far from the Madding Crowd" which is not quite as exalted as "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" (or "Jude the Obscure"), but, in my opinion, has far better characters and a more compelling plot. In addition, it's less depressing than most of his other works. I'm also a big fan of "The Mayor of Casterbridge", which has Hardy's best hero (or anti-hero, rather) and certainly one of his better premises. "Tess" and "Jude" would come next on the list -- both nearly as good as the first two.