'Thomas Hardy- A Man or a Novelist?'
I have sat for many nights trying to think how to approach this assignment. Looking for something new and individual but without lapsing into writing a literature essay. My attention then wandered to study more closely the life of Thomas Hardy as a man, rather than to scour his literary achievements, and whilst doing so, I began to realise that each of his novels played out a slight autobiographical account of his life. In fact, on further reading into Hardy's life, I discovered that he was a man who saw mass social changes such as the expansion of the British transport system, which consequently led to the industrial revolution, and the breakdown of religion as Darwin revealed his theory of evolution. These changes impacted greatly not only on the social classes but also on the writers and other artists during that time. To support my findings I will be closely examining the novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" whilst considering the motives behind the writing and the sacrifices made in order to be published. Let me begin by identifying the protagonist. Tess is a simple, but educated, peasant girl who is neither a virgin nor a whore, but both. Education is very important whilst identifying Tess, as the level of ed
After considering all of the above points I have mentioned, it is now time to reflect how best to use these items in order to further my own thoughts and ideas. The next issue to deal with would be the use of themes and foreboding. Hardy uses the themes in the novel to put across his strongest thoughts and feelings. There are two main themes in "Tess", one is the idea of loss and the inevitability of suffering, and the other is the conflict between the natural and the conventional. The intensity of this technique offers the readers to familiarise themselves with the characters surroundings before focusing on the characters actions and this in turn also reflects Hardy's love of the countryside as it is written almost like an ode.
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Approximate Word count = 1952
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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