The secret life of Thomas Hardy

"This book's ruling assumption is that Hardy was - from the outset of his admirably sustained career as novelist and poet - intent on creative mischief-making. It makes fascinatingly clear how Hardy was an outwardly conforming writer with a smuggled cargo of cultural dissent. Its exciting critical perspectives also show how Hardy's approach to representation takes him beyond realism, revealing the psychological undercurrents which render his writing 'darkly, deliciously disturbing'. With its critical sophistication, this book also ranges widely, representing Hardy's major novels as well as most of those unfairly considered minor, while also considering Hardy's haunted - and haunting - poetry. Some recent film and TV versions of his novels are also examined, with special reference to the pitfalls of adaptation. Thus students and teachers of literature at various educational levels will find this new book indispensable."--Jacket.

First sentence: It is still quite widely assumed that Hardy, a sadder and a wiser man after his first work failed to win acceptance by a publisher, humbly recanted and reverted to type-or rather, what we take his type to be.

Year

2003

Language

English

Publisher

Ashgate Pub Ltd

Editions

1

Pages

188

ISBN

9780754638414

Data source: Wikidata