Disintegration Of The Rural Society: An Analysis Of The Decline Of The Male Protagonists In Hardy's Novels

Thomas Hardy is honored as the last great writer in British Victorian period. As far as the creation of his novels is concerned, there are three stages of development of his literary thoughts. Romantic pastoral ideal characterizes the first stage which includes Under the Greenwood Tree and Far from the Madding Crowd. In the second stage, Hardy turns to depict the approaching tragedy of the rural society in his novels. The Return of the Native and The Mayor of Casterbridge are the masterpieces. Hardy does not point out where this ruined society would go until his third creation stage comes. His thoughts become gradually rational and mature. Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure are the two major novels.Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Jude the obscure are all considered typical representatives of the three different stages in Hardy's literary creation. The declining process of four male protagonists in each novel reveals the disintegrating process of the rural society. As farmers in different stages, from ideal Oak to homeless Jude, their declining images just act as the embodiment of the disintegrating rural society from"lively pastoral"to"desolate elegy". In the process of analyzing each stage of the rural society, this thesis further attempts to take a social and historical perspective to reach the root of such disintegration.The thesis is divided into five parts. The introduction part briefly introduces Hardy and his works, and presents researches and remarks on Hardy's works home and abroad. Chapter Two concisely puts forward the transformational social background of the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era. Chapter Three is the principal part of the thesis. It gives a thorough analysis of the decline of those four male protagonists. Chapter Four further reaches the disintegration of the rural society in the four novels, and then gets to the corresponding relationship between the two above mentioned. The fifth part is the conclusion. From the previous parts, the conclusion is drawn that Hardy's novels have presented an objective record of the disintegrating process of the rural society, which embodies his observation of the laws of historical development.As a local-color writer who shows much concern for farmers and the rural society, however, Hardy achieves an epic theme—both of the fall of the old and the rise of the new. He has realized that the social development should be conformed to historical trends. Therefore, by comparison with other local-color writers at the same time, it is evident that Hardy has possessed literary awareness ahead of his time.