Thomas Hardy – historical period and biography

1. Biography
Thomas Hardy, who lived in late Victorian England is a renowned English
poet and novelist. He grew up in a rural environment which later influenced
much of his work, which often depicted the hardships of rural life and the
conflict between traditional values and modernity. Hardy began his career
as an architect but eventually turned to writing. His first novel was rejected,
however later he produced a series of novels including classics such as Tess
of the d'Urbervilles" and “Jude the Obscure”.- last novel. 14 novels later he
turned to poetry for the last 3 decades of his life, which is known to be
valued by him more than prose. However, he was nominated 25 times for
Noble Prize exactly for his novels. He never won though due to the
controversy of his work.
2. Why did he stop writing novels, though?
It is assumed that the negative reaction which his later novels received
stopped him from writing prose. His novel "Jude the Obscure" faced harsh
criticism and was burned publicly. The strong negative reactions from both
critics and the public deeply affected him. After this experience he turned to
writing poetry instead of novels, where he found more acceptance and
acclaim as a poet. Personal factors also may have contributed to his shift
away from novels. His first wife passed away and Her death had a profound
impact on him, and he began to reflect on themes of love and loss in his
poetry.
3. About his personal life - He was married twice, and his second wife was 39
years younger than him. Other unusual fact about Thomas Hardy is that his
heart was buried separate from his ashes and the reason is so that the
writer could be honored at Westminster Abbey as a great English writer
while also having his wish to be buried alongside his first wife. To this day he
is known as “the last of the great Victorians

4. Historical period
Thomas Hardy lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period
often referred to as the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Hardy's life spanned a
time of significant historical and societal change. He witnessed the height of
 the British Empire marked by rapid advancement in science, arts, and
education as well as great social and political reforms such as end of slavery,
abolishment of child labor and growing the number of people able to vote.
He saw England changing from a rural, agricultural country to an urban,
industrialized one, but he also saw the strict social norms and moral codes
of the time.

5. Views and influences

Now, let’s explore how the Victorian age influenced Thomas Hardy views. He
is known as controversial author, who challenged societal norms of his time
and He possessed a distinct set of views and influences that left mark on his
literary works. The main influences of his views and work were the era he
lived in, specifically the late Victorian society's attitudes toward marriage
and religion, the English countryside, Charles Darwin, and his own life.
Hardys view on marriage was that it was absurd to force two people to stay
together only because they are married. Divorce at that time was not only
expensive, but it went against the social norms. He also critiqued the
harmful influence of strict Christianity, from the moment he read Darwin
works and became agnostic himself. Also influenced by Darwin, Hardy
became naturalistic writer, who believed that the force of nature can change
one’s destiny. That is why emotion and experience is connected to natural
landscape in his novels. From modern perspective His views were
progressive for his time however the Victorians criticized him harshly on
them.

6. What made him write tess of the durbervilles?

16-year-old Thomas Hardy, a trainee architect at the time, was in the 4,000-
crowd for public execution of a woman charged with murdering her
husband. She was found guilty of murdering her violent husband after he
had beaten her with a whip during an argument. The sentence of hanging
was mandatory. The experience stayed with him, and he later used it as
inspiration for his novel. In the book Hardy demonstrates his deep sense of
moral sympathy for England's lower classes, particularly for rural women. He
became famous for his compassionate portrayal of young women who were
 victims of the judgmental way English society viewed what is morally right.
Vesi will tell you more about the novel later on.

7. Philosophy of life
I will finish the presentation by sharing with you the philosophy of life of
Thomas Hardy - happiness was but the occasional episode in a general
drama of pain – a quote from one of his books which reflects the suffering
that life brings. "happiness" is the exception in life, rather than the rule