Ecocritical Themes In Three Of Thomas Hardy's Novels

The critical studies of Thomas Hardy have tended to focus on his characters and the social constructions that determine their lives from a Marxist, consumerist or feminist angle. This thesis attempts to analyze the three novels of Thomas Hardy from the ecocritical perspective, which in turn to generate an ecological consciousness that will contribute to the urgent imperatives of environmental protection. The dissertation falls into five chapters: an introduction, three sections each treating one of the novels in chronological order of publication— Far from the Madding Crowd (1874). The Woodlanders (1887) and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891)— and a conclusion. Three concepts of 'resident', 'in-between', and 'interloper' have been applied to the analysis of the protagonists on the basis of their relationship to the outside world—nature. The special value of Hardy to ecocriticism lies in the connection between geography and culture. He does separate place and characters that he locates in an enclosed ecological cycle that is constantly moving, evolving and is under the threat of being interfered, which affects the fate of the protagonists.