Snell (1998) says that the term 'regional novel' refers to "fiction that is set in a recognizable region, and which describes features distinguishing the life, social relations, customs, languages, dialect, or other aspects of the culture of that area and its people. Fiction with a strong sense of local geography, topography or landscape is also covered by this definition" (1998:1). Novels belonging to such a genre, Duncan (2002) claims, are thus distinctive and familiar. distinctive in the sense that each is differentiated from the metropolis or from other regions within the nation, and familiar in the sense that they all have one thing in common 'the imagined community' of Anderson (Anderson, 1991). Duncan (2002) maintains that provincial or regional fiction was established and flourished in the nineteenth century. He argues that the eighteenth century witnessed some attempts at the regional novel, notably Smollett's (1818) The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker written in 1771; however, the real introduction to the regional novel was Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent in 1800. Afterwards, regional fiction was developed by Scott, Galt, and their Irish and Scottish contemporaries. This view is supported by Bellamy’s (1998) argument “the origins of the regional novel have conventionally been traced back to Maria Edgeworth and Walter Scott” (1998: 54). The novels about Ireland or Scotland, Duncan (2002) suggests, made English writers think about the varieties of community within England and in the Victorian period, after which we see the appearance of English regional novel. He points out that industrialization and modernization processes led to the disappearance of many rural and pastoral values; the simple pastoral life was replaced ... ... middle of paper ... ...e reduced to just classifying him as a regional writer (Seymour-Smith, 1994). Williams (1974) supports this argument indicating “This argument gives a one-sided picture of Hardy’s creativity and ignores an important part of the Victorian social and cultural context in which Hardy had lived and worked for some time—that of urban society” (1974: 5-6). One major problem with regional discussions of Hardy is that their vision and perception of Hardy’s work is very narrow in the sense that (1) they are almost restricted to what Hardy calls ‘novels of character and environment’, and (2) they ignore other important thematic concepts within the texts. Equally important, such reviews are always based on some biographical elements of Hardy himself. The involvement of biographical considerations however in thematic reviews makes any discussion subjective and not empirical.
With this, his last novel, Hardy is moving away from the convention of the "inner life of the characters to be inferred from their public behavior" (Howe 513), so, although Sue...
Moretti, Franco. Atlas of European Novel 1800-1900. Theoretical Interlude II. Geography of Plot. New York/London. Verso. 1998. 70. Print. 6 March 2014.
Similarly, Bathsheba of Far from the Madding Crowd is destined to suffer and lead a miserable life. Bathsheba Everdene is paying a visit to her aunt and is seen by Gabriel Oak, a hardworking farmer. He falls in love with her and proposes to marry her but she declines his offer. Afterwards, Oak loses his sheep and becomes very poor. So he moves to Casterbridge in search for a job. He chances to arrive at the outbreak of a fire in Bathsheba’s farm and he puts it out. She offers to hire him as a shepherd and he agrees. In the meantime, she tries to attract Mr. William Boldwood but he is not interested in her and she comes to marry Sergeant Troy, a deceitful and inconsiderate husband. He squanders her money on gambling. He used to love Fanny Robin before getting married to Bathsheba and he chances to see her one day between Casterbridge and Weatherbury. He decides to go to her and help her but he finds her and her child dead. Feeling desperate, he quarrels with Bathsheba and leaves for America. Thinking that she is now a widow, Bathsheba decides to marry Boldwood. However, Troy returns a...
Clements, Victoria. Introduction. A New-England Tale. By Catharine Maria Sedgwick. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
The nineteenth-century woman was defined by her adherence to submission and resistance to sexuality. She was portrayed by most writers as a naive, accepting figure with strong concerns about living up to the prescribed societal ideals for a respectable woman. The women in Jane Austen's novels offer a clear representation of the nineteenth-century woman. Austen refuses these women any sexual expression and focuses more upon their concern with marriage and society. Thomas Hardy resists Austen's socially accepted depiction of the female with his radically independent heroines.
Damrosch, David, et al., ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Vol. B. Compact ed. New York: Longman - Addison Wesley Longman, 2000. p. 2256
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was one of the great writers of the Late Victorian era. One of his great works out of the many that he produced was his poem Hap, which he wrote in 1866, but did not publish until 1898 in his collection of poems called Wessex Poems. This poem seems to typify the sense of alienation that he and other writers were experiencing at the time, as they "saw their times as marked by accelerating social and technological change and by the burden of a worldwide empire" (Longman p. 2165). The poem also reveals Hardy's own "abiding sense of a universe ruled by a blind or hostile fate, a world whose landscapes are etched with traces of the fleeting stories of their inhabitants" (Longman p. 2254).
Dictionary.com defines the literary movement called Regionalism, as “the theory or practice of emphasizing the regional characteristics of locale or setting, as by stressing local speech.” The Regionalism movement was a time after the Civil War and the nineteenth century. It was a movement that emphasized the characters, dialect, customs, and landscape of a particular region. Writers during this period would stray away from normal settings and focus on distant lands that contained an exotic or interesting setting. The literary works of this time period were very descriptive and the writing greatly enhanced the surroundings of a certain region. The literary work entitled “The Mountain” by Robert Frost is an excellent example of a Regionalist piece of writing. It exemplifies the ideas of the description of setting and enhances the characters from this village setting. The Regionalism literary movement emphasized that every region had something special inside it that was worth writing about. No matter...
So, the sense of pessimism in Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge has been presented in a bit different way. No doubt the protagonist of the novel is a pessimistic character, but the whole credit of his pessimism has not been given to his own flaw only. But the pessimism has been broadly caused by the luck, fate, conscience of human beings. Life has been presented there as pessimistic in the hand of luck or chances. Our pessimistic life is a kind of truth, but the very cause behind it is beyond our control. This sort of pessimism is there is Henchard's life too. Hardy was the painter of darker side of life as it was no wonder if people charged him of “pessimist”. The opinion is both right and wrong in this context. Infact, there are some factors that compels us to believe him a pessimist. He was hypersensitive; his own life was tragic and
Lets begin by outlining the lives of both men. Bourn a mere four years apart, Hardy in 1840 and Hopkins in 1844 both men bloomed during the peak of Victorian culture in England. Not only were both men bourn within the same decade, but both men also had similar backgrounds in regards to literature. Hopkins studied the classics at Oxford, and Hardy through strictly regimented self study became intimately acquainted with similar classics such as the Odyssey. Hopkins converted to Catholicism in 1866 with the scorn of his parents in tow. For Hopkins religion would remain a point of contention for the rest of his life, causing him to burn much of his poetry with the idea that the sermon was the only worthy for literary discourse. Despite Hopkins early admonition of writing he would continue to do so, often as an outlet for his religious and personal strugg...
Thomas Hardy wrote about society in the mid 1800's and his tales have rural settings in the fictional name he gave to the South-West of England, Wessex. The short stories reflect this time and the author also demonstrates the class division in rural society - rich and poor - and the closeness of the communities. Almost everyone belonged to the 'labouring classes' and worked on the land.
Quite frequently the theme is reiterated by the conscientiousness of Hardy’s choice in stylistic techniques. The most prominent of depictions are through the dialogue of the novel’s main character, Michael Henchard. Subconscious speaking habits are discernible through the stylistic techniques of Hardy and through these subconscious speaking habits, the unchanged aspects of Henchard’s character become apparent.
Hardy originated from a working class family. The son of a master mason, Hardy was slightly above that of his agricultural peers. Hardy’s examination of transition between classes is usually similar to that of D.H. Lawrence, that if you step outside your circle you will die. The ambitious lives of the characters within Hardy’s novels like Jude and Tess usually end fatally; as they attempt to break away from the constraints of their class, thus, depicting Hardy’s view upon the transition between classes. Hardy valued lower class morals and traditions, it is apparent through reading Tess that her struggles are evidently permeated through the social sufferings of the working class. A central theme running throughout Hardy’s novels is the decline of old families. It is said Hardy himself traced the Dorset Hardy’s lineage and found once they were of great i...
Clarke, R. (n.d.). The Poetry of Thomas Hardy. rlwclarke. Retrieved February 1, 2014, from http://www.rlwclarke.net/Courses/LITS2002/2008-2009/12AHardy'sPoetry.pdf
A man or novelist Thomas Hardy was a very successful man who had an interesting birth, the schools he attended, Hardy’s career, his personal life, death, and Thomas’ appreciations.