Biography

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

Poet and novelist Hometown: Dorset

Father- a master ( 熟練的 ) mason ( 石匠 ) and

building contractor ( 承包商 ).

Mother- tastes included Latin poets and

French romances, provided for Hardy’s

education.

Emma Lavinia Gifford- married in 1874.

Florence Emily Dugdale- married in 1914.Emma Lavinia GiffordFlorence Emily Dugdale

After schooling in Dorchester, Hardy was

apprenticed ( 當學徒 ) to an architect( 建築師 ).

He worked in an office, which specialized ( 專攻 ) in restoration ( 重建 ) of churches.

At the age of 22, Hardy moved to London

and started to write poems, which idealized ( 理想化地描述 ) the rural life （鄉村生活） .

Unable to find a public for his poetry,

Hardy turned to fiction.

His first book that gained notice was

Far From The Madding Crowd (1874).

After its success, Hardy devoted himself

entirely to writing and produced a series

of novels.

Hardy was part of two worlds: He had a deep emotional bond （連結） with

the rural way of life which he had known as a child.

He was aware of the changes which were under way （進行中） , and the current social problems from the innovations in agriculture - he captured the epoch just before the railways （鐵路系統） and the industrial revolution changed the English countryside - to the unfairness （不公平） and hypocrisy of Victorian sexual behavior.

In 1898, Hardy published his first volume

of poetry, Wessex Poems, a collection of

poems written over 30 years.

Most of his poems deal with themes of

disappointment in love and life, and

mankind's long struggle against

indifference to human suffering.

Received degrees of honorary Doctor from

the most famous universities in England:

Oxford, Cambridge, Aberdeen, St

Andrews, and Bristol.

Hardy is best remembered for the series

of novels and short stories he wrote

between 1871 and 1895.

His novels are set in the imaginary world

of Wessex, a large area of south and

south-west England.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles 黛絲姑娘Far From The Madding Crowd 遠離塵囂Jude the Obscure 無名的裘德 /絕戀

反映男尊女卑的社會風氣內容挑戰社會尺度？「一個純潔的女性」 (A Pure Woman: Faithfully Presented)

細膩的風景描述

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