The Novels of Thomas Hardy - Illusion and Reality

What he himself characteristically called ''his idiosyncratic mode of regard'' is a factor few readers of Hardy''s novels can overlook and one with which all serious students of his fiction must come to terms. The fact that there is nevertheless little final agreement about the nature of his achievement has prompted Miss Vigar to make a fresh study of Hardy''s own notes and essays on the art of the novel and to analyse his fictional technique in the light of these unduly neglected observations. Her approach centres on Hardy''s pervasive theme of the contrast between appearance and reality and on his frequent use of ''pictorial'' devices to express his imaginative vision. She is able to develop a critical account of Hardy''s work that can convincingly explain, by reference to the same criteria, both its strengths and its weaknesses, its successes and failures.>

List of contents

Introduction: Hardy's Concept of his Art
I The Technique of the Novels
II Experiments and Mistakes
III Under the Greenwood Tree and The Trumpet-Major
IV Far From the Madding Crowd
V The Return of the Native
VI The Mayor of Casterbridge
VIII Tess of the d'Urbervilles
VIII Jude the Obscure
Conclusion
Notes
Index

Product details

• Authors: Penelope Vigar, Vigar Penelope
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 07.11.2013
• EAN: 9781472510761
• ISBN: 978-1-4725-1076-1
• No. of pages: 226
• Series: Bloomsbury Academic Collection; Bloomsbury Academic Collection; Bloomsbury Academic Collections: English Literary Criticism
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / 19th Century, Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, LITERARY CRITICISM / Novel as Form