Thomas Hardy Biography and Summary of Tess
Part I:
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, born June 2, 1840, was a novelist and a poet. His mother, who was well read, educated him until he went to school at age eight. He went to Mr. Last’s Academy for Young Gentlemen in Dorchester where he learned Latin, and showed academic potential. His formal education ended at age sixteen however because his family’s social position lacked the means for a university education. He was apprenticed to James Hicks, a local architect. In 1862, Hardy moved to London where he enrolled at King’s College where he won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association. He hated London though, because he was aware of the class divisions and his own social inferiority. He was, however, interested in the works of John Stuart Mill, Charled Fourier and Auguste Comte. Five years later, he moved back home and decided to dedicate himself to writing. His first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, was finished in 1867, but he couldn’t find a publisher. He showed it to his best friend who thought the novel was too politically controversial and could damage Hardy’s ability to publish in the future. Hardy listened to him and destroyed it so that no copies exist anymore. After that, he published two novels anonymously. They were Desperate Remedies, and Under the Greenwood Tree. In 1873, he published A Pair of Blue Eyes under his own name. The term “cliffhanger” is considered to have originated in the serialized version in which one of the protagonists is left literally hanging off a cliff. His next novel, Far from the Madding Crowd, was successful enough for him to quit architectural work and pursue a literary career. He wrote ten more novels in the next twenty-five years. The most famous of Hardy’s works is probably Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It was published in 1891 and originally appeared in a censored version, published by the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic. The book received mixed reviews
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, born June 2, 1840, was a novelist and a poet. His mother, who was well read, educated him until he went to school at age eight. He went to Mr. Last’s Academy for Young Gentlemen in Dorchester where he learned Latin, and showed academic potential. His formal education ended at age sixteen however because his family’s social position lacked the means for a university education. He was apprenticed to James Hicks, a local architect. In 1862, Hardy moved to London where he enrolled at King’s College where he won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association. He hated London though, because he was aware of the class divisions and his own social inferiority. He was, however, interested in the works of John Stuart Mill, Charled Fourier and Auguste Comte. Five years later, he moved back home and decided to dedicate himself to writing. His first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, was finished in 1867, but he couldn’t find a publisher. He showed it to his best friend who thought the novel was too politically controversial and could damage Hardy’s ability to publish in the future. Hardy listened to him and destroyed it so that no copies exist anymore. After that, he published two novels anonymously. They were Desperate Remedies, and Under the Greenwood Tree. In 1873, he published A Pair of Blue Eyes under his own name. The term “cliffhanger” is considered to have originated in the serialized version in which one of the protagonists is left literally hanging off a cliff. His next novel, Far from the Madding Crowd, was successful enough for him to quit architectural work and pursue a literary career. He wrote ten more novels in the next twenty-five years. The most famous of Hardy’s works is probably Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It was published in 1891 and originally appeared in a censored version, published by the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic. The book received mixed reviews