Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy Life And Works

Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy Life And Works

Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy Life And Works

Thomas Hardy's Life And Work (1840-1928)
United kingdom

On June 2, 1840, Thomas Hardy was born in the lonely and silent hamlet of Higher Bockhampton, Dorsetshire, situated a few miles away from the town of Dorchester. This town was situated within walking distance of a small working community consisting largely of agricultural people. The surroundings of the village of Hardy be a misrepresentation of the environment of Hardy's childhood if one recreates it in idyllic terms. The working people lived in the most abject conditions of which Hardy must have had the first-hand knowledge and which went a long way in determining the sort of thinking that is revealed in his important novels.

On the paternal side, the family of Hardy descended from the Jersey le Hardys, who had arrived at Dorset centuries ago. Hardy once entertaited an idea of calling himself Thomas Hardy', but never did so. Though his father came from long established Dorset families, he was not privileged to enjoy the ancient status. Neverthless, he rose to become a builder employing a number of labourers, which placed him in the better ranks of society. Hardy's father was also a gifted amateur musician, centring his musical taste on the church services. descended from the Chiles, Childs, or Childses, the Swetmans and other families of north-west Dorset. His maternal ancestors were small landed proprietors in Melbur Osmond, Dorset and adjoining parishes. mother was an omnivorous reader and had a great liking for singing songs. 

Thomas Hardy was a fragile child. He was so puny at the time of birth that he was declared dead by the attending doctor. Had it not been for the common sense of the nurse, who slapped the child Hardy till he was restored to life, he might never have come to life to create immortal works. Such a fragile and reserved sort of a boy lived his childhood amidst the rural sights and sounds and beliefs and superstitions of country folk. He got accustomed to local speech. His father used to speak local dialect to his labourerss and standard English in the home. An interesting incident of this time is worth mentioning here. At the age of about ten Hardy experienced his first love- affair, though strictly in a Shelleyan sense. It was with a lady, Mrs. Julia Augusta Martin, more than four times his age.

At the age of eight, Thomas Hardy was sent to the village school to learn the rudiments before being sent to more advanced schools. Interestingly enough. he was the first pupil to enter the new school building. At this stage, besides learning Arithmetic and Geography, he was made to read by his mother suck works as Dryden's Virgil, Johnson's Rasselas, and Paul and Virginia and popular illustrated history of the Napoleonic wars which later on became responsible for the creation of The Trumpet Major and The Dynasts. Atthe age of about twelve, he also read Shakespeare, Scott and Bunyan as well i such popular novelists as Dumas and G.P.R. James. 

At fifteen, Thomas Hardy was sent to learn French from a French governess at the school attended by his sister. But when he was lady who was the jo asoue uonsanb oyn 'uxts profession. As a builder, his father was associated with Mr. John Hicks, an architect and church restores. After thinking of possibilities of Hardy's adopting various professions. his father decided to put Hardy under the subordination of Hicks. Thus Hardy was apprenticed to John Hicks who had his office in Dorchester, and thus architecture was to be Hardy's main concern for the next sixteen years. A the time when he was acquiring his training in Hicks office, Hardy continued pursuing his self studies in literature and classics. Earlier he had learnt a little bit of French and German, now he began studying Greek, the classical authors and the New Testament, reading laboriously for two or three hours before breakfast and the daily walk into Dorchester. During the period of his training in Dorchester, Hardy became intimately acquainted with the country life of Dorchester, which he was to immortalize in The Return of the Native, Far From the Madding Crowd and other novels. Besides this, his architectural shaping his literary skill, exerting a creative and training went a long way in disciplinary influence on all he wrote. He succeeded in acquiring quite a wide store of knowledge through his own efforts.

 His self study enabled him to have a sound acquaintance with classical and modern languages and literatures, history, theology, philosophy, science and art history is subsequent writings bear a witness to his immense knowledge of all these.

After completing his training with Hicks. Thomas Hardy moved to London in I862 to join the staff of a well-known architect, Arthur Bloomfield, who was himself deeply immersed in literary and musical tastes. Here too Hardy did not give up the use of his pen. After trying to become an art critic, he took up his pen to the writing of poetry. But on account of his ill health, he was forced to return to Dorchester in 1867. 

By now he had begun to consider poetry as a waste of labour. Therefore, he decided to switch over to prosc which he considered a more promising field. Consequently, he wrote his first novel. The Poor Man and the Lady. It is said that his decision to turn to the novel sprang from necessity rather than choice. Perhaps the successful careers of Dickens. George Eliot, Trollepe and others suggested to Thomas Hardy that fame and fortune could be earned only by being a novelist. His fist novel was. however, never published. 

When Meredith read its manuscripl he suggested to Thomas Hardy either to rewrite the novel or to write another onc Hardy opled for the second and the result was Desperate Remedies, his tirs surviving novel published by Tinsly Brothers at Hardy's own expense.


For the next few years Thomas Hardy pursued his architectural career. But his leisure time was still devoted to his practice of fiction writing. Desperate Remedied was received with mixed reactions. It was received as powerful novel in such critical papers as Althenoenn and the Morning Post. But Hardy's concentration was centred on an idyllic account of the surroundings of his own liking. Shortly after the aforesaid reviews were written, Under the Greenwood Tree, a village love-story exhibiting Hardy's deep knowledge of rustic life and speech. 

The publication of Far From the Madding Crowd which followed the popularity of Under the Greenwood Tree established Hardy as a novelist growing reputation. The novel was writtern with the encouragements of Leslie Stephen, editor of the popular magazine, Comhill in which Far Fron the Madding Crowd was published in instalments. In the meantime, in September 1874, Hardy married Emma Lavinnia Gifford. a lady whom he had met in Cornwall while engaged on church-restoration business in 1870. Their marriage was to prove a source of joy as also of pain and bitterness ending in her death-all spread over the span of forty years. 

The Hand of Erhelberta appeared after Far From the Madding Crowd. It was less successful than its brilliant predecessor. However, Thomas Hardy made it up in his. The return of the native in which once again he returned to his coveted rural scene. It was followed by three minor novels : The trumpet  Major, a short historical novel showing Hardy's deep interest in the Napoleonic period A Laodicean a novel dealing with the hazards yo which authors and publishers of serialized fiction exposed themselves; and Two on a Tower a novel appearing in an American magazine the Atlantic Monthly.

But Thomas Hardy earned a more popular image in his later years. During the time that all the aforesaid novels were written Hardy and his wife lived in returned houses in London and Dorset.  At last he decided to build a house of his own liking and design, for which he selected a spot on the outskirts of Dorchester. This decision was important, as his coming to settle at Max Gate saw the production of his four great novels. The Mayor of Casterbridge is set in Dorchester, for which Casterbridge is the fictional name. The Woodlanders appeared in the monthly Macmillan's Magazine; ten thousand copies of its first number were sold immediately. But a greater sensatino was created by the publication of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. It was more widely discussed than any other novel of Hardy. By this time Hardy was generally recognised, at home and abroad, as one of England's leading novelists. Jude the Obscure was his last novel, which like Tess was subjected to mixed reactions.


After Tess and Jude, Thomas Hardy thought of giving up writing fiction. Perhaps after earning a lot of fame and money, he wanted to write for his own persona! pleasure instead of doing a job for his publishers, reviewers and editors Naturally he switched over to poetry. His first volume of poctry was Wessc Poems, published in 1898. Besides this, his other poetical works were Poes of the Past and the Present (1902), Time's Laughing Stocks (1909), Moments of Vision (1917), Late Lyrics and Earlier (1922), Human Shows, Far Phantasies (1925), and Winter Words (1928) In 1910, Hardy honorary fellowship of Oxford and Cambridge College. But the death of his wife in 1912 was a setback in his life. Though his family life was one of bitterness, he felt the loss of his wife poignantly. The sense of loneliness compelled him to marry again in 1914, Miss. Florence Emily Dugdale, his former secretary. Untiringly, Thomas Hardy continued writing and produced some of his finest works in his old age. But by this time he was run down by weakening health. On 11th January 1928, he breathed his last and was cremated at Westminster Abbey.


Thomas Hardy Life And Works
Thomas Hardy Book Far From The Madding crowd
Thomas hardy As a Novelist


Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy Life And Works Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy Life And Works Reviewed by Official Samy on 11:00 AM Rating: 5

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