Towards Modernism: A Study Of Thomas Hardy's Four Later Novels

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), English novelist and poet, is a literary giant in the canon of English literature. He is unique in his distinguished achievement in both novels and poetry. But what makes him widely remembered are his novels. Over more than a century, works and articles of criticism on Hardy's novels have been numerous. Yet most of the critics'central preoccupation is on the tragedy of Hardy's novels, thus leaving other areas of research on Hardy's novels not fully studied. Modernist expressions and practices in Hardy's later novels are one of those critical areas that awaits further in-depth study. In the light of this weakness in Hardy study, this thesis attempts to study Hardy's modernist expressions in terms of both themes and writing techniques in four of his later novels, namely, The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure. Hardy's modernist consciousness in these novels proves Hardy to be a transitional figure between Victorian realism and the early twentieth-century modernism, and manifests the tendency towards modernism in English literature at the turn of the twentieth century.The thesis is composed of five sections. In the introductory remarks, the author of this thesis gives a brief introduction to Hardy's literary career, reception and criticism of his novels, and aim and organization of the study. The main body part of the thesis consists of three chapters. In Chapter One, the thesis will first give a theoretical introduction to modernism as it is used in the thesis. Then an overview of Hardy's thought and art in his late novel-writing with the emphasis on his modernist consciousness and the major influences upon him as a novelist will be examined. Chapter Three and Chapter Four analyze Hardy's modernist thematic expressions and writing techniques as found in his four later novels under discussion respectively. In the concluding remarks for the whole study, the author of the thesis affirms Hardy's modernist consciousness in his novel-writing. Hardy's modernist endeavour not only leaves a great legacy for later modernist novelists but also attracts contemporary readers.