Comment critically on the contribution of Thomas Hardy to the English novel.

Comment critically on the contribution of   Thomas Hardy to the English novel.

                                                                                Or

The contribution of   Thomas  Hardy to the development of the English Novel. 

Answer:- Thomas Hardy (2June1840-11January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and regarded himself as a poet but his first collection of poetry was not published(1898). Therefore he published some of his popular novels such as Far from the Madding Crowd(1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervills(1891) and Jude the Obscure(1895). Many of his novel concerns tragic characters struggling against their passion and social circumstance and they are often set semi-fictional region of  Wessex ; initially based on the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

                                In style, Hardy is direct and simple, aiming at realism in all things. In his novels , Hardy makes man an intelligent part of the world.Hardy as a realist, but rather a man blinded by pessimism and his novels, though generally powerful and sometimes fascinating  are  not pleasant  or wholesome reading .His idyllic love story Under the Greenwood Tree(1872) and A Pair of Blue Eyes(1873) are considered the most interesting .Hardy became noted when he published Far  from the Madding  Crowd ,a book which appeared anonymously in the Cornhill Magazine(1874).However,The Return of the Native(1878) and The Woodlanders are generally regarded as Hardy’s masterpiece.

                                                                                Hardy’s contribution to English novel is remarkable. His first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, finished by 1867, failed to find a publisher. This novel was  politicaly very controversial therefore destroyed the manuscript .Considered a Victorian realist ,he examines  the  social constraints on the lives of those beliefs ,especially those relating to  marriage ,education and religion that limited people’s lives and caused unhappiness. In Two one a Tower ,for example ,Hardy takes a stand against these rules of society with a story of love that crosses the boundaries of class.

                                                In conclusion  , Hardy’s contribution to English novel is notable, he made a lasting impression on English literature. For his contribution he is still alive among us.