Thomas Hardy's Philosophy Influences His Writing

Thomas Hardy's Philosophy Influences His Writing

In a letter written in 1920, Thomas Hardy comments, "it is my misfortune that people will treat my mood-dictated writing as a single scientific theory" (Hicks 111). Hardy did not write under the pretenses of a single belief system, but was "so often misunderstood that he had to try and give some clear and precise statement of his beliefs" (Hicks, 110). Although he did not fulfill the role of philosopher, often these statements were read as Hardy's "philosophy." According to Jacobson, the task of a philosopher is to "develop articulate, settled systems of thought about the nature of the world, about the moral constitution of mankind, and about the grounds and modalities of knowledge itself." He continues to explain that these ideas must be "coherent, not just within themselves . . . but also with those put forward in the other two[systems of thought]" (115). While Hardy explores the ideas of nature, morality, and knowledge in his writings, he focuses on the multi-faceted aspects of each idea, not on any general conclusions about each idea.

Although Hardy did not support an individual or personal "philosophy," echoes of the late nineteenth century philosophers, including Nietzche, Comte, and Schopenhauer, are found in his works. Nietzche comments on the nature of human drives, arguing that one could understand culture by studying the conflict between the Apollonian and Dionysian drives. The Apollonian drive, according to Nietzche, strives to find order in a confused, chaotic, and cruel world. The Dionysian drive, on the other hand, desires to break down that artificial order. An example of these opposing drives is found in Hardy's short story "The Fiddler of the Reels." Ned, ...

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...eas represent a powerful combination of the philosophies introduced by contemporary thinkers.

Bibliography

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Hicks, Granville. Figures in Transition: A Study of British Literature at the end of the Nineteenth Century. New York: McMillan, Co., 1939.

Jacobson, Dan. "Thomas Hardy: The Poet as Philosopher." American Scholar, vol. 65, no. 1, Winter 1996, pp. 114-19.

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