Hardy'S Wessex: The Landscapes That Inspired a Writer

Thomas Hardy's Wessex is a multi-venue exhibition that explores his life and work. The book accompanies the exhibition and explores how the landscape inspired Hardy in his life and work, from campaigning for animal welfare to questioning the way society viewed women. The West Country changed dramatically during Hardy's life, and his stories and campaigning reflected these changes. The publication will explore the impact that Wessex had on Hardy's works and how living there shaped his views on social issues.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 60 pages
Publication date: 20 May 2022
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd

Accompanying a multi-venue exhibition, this fascinating book tells the story of Thomas Hardy's Wessex. Exploring Hardy's life and work, it delves into the various influences that shaped his writing, from the rugged landscapes of the West Country to his deep understanding of human nature.

Internationally acclaimed writer Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is best known for his evocative depictions of the West Country landscape and its people, a region that he called Wessex. What is less well-known is that this landscape also inspired him in many other aspects of his life, from campaigning for animal welfare to questioning the way society viewed women.

This publication accompanies a blockbuster, multi-venue exhibition of the largest collection of Thomas Hardy memorabilia ever to be displayed at once. Hardy was born in the West Country, a few years after Queen Victoria came to the throne, and spent most of the rest of his life among its landscapes and people. When he turned writer, these landscapes and people re-emerged as his partly-real, partly-dream country of Wessex, in novels like Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure.

Hardy's Wessex now conjures up a range of mental images: from raging seas on the coast to haunting ancient monuments, Victorian towns packed with life to peaceful hillsides grazed by sheep. However, through Hardy's 87-year life span, the West Country changed dramatically. Ideas of the role of women, humans' responsibility to animals, the realities of war, love and courtship, superstition, social structure, religion, and how people related to the world around them altered fundamentally. Through his stories and campaigning, Hardy was keen to show not only the rural idyll but also the tensions and difficulties that lay beneath these views.

These dramatic landscapes were the lens through which Hardy presented his worldview to his readership. From the tragedy of a woman saying goodbye to her lover at the railway station to the joy of a young couple walking hand in hand through the countryside, Hardy's stories captured the essence of human experience and the complexities of the world around us.

In conclusion, this book offers a unique insight into the life and work of Thomas Hardy, a writer who has left an indelible mark on English literature. Through its exploration of the West Country landscape and its influence on his writing, it sheds light on the many dimensions of Hardy's character and his contribution to the literary world. Whether you are a fan of his novels or simply interested in the history of English literature, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the enduring legacy of Thomas Hardy.

Dimension: 210 x 210 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913645212