Thomas Hardy's Rational Rejection Of And Emotional Nostalgia For Christianity

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), English poet and novelist, born near Dorchester in astonemason family, was called the last great English writer of the 19th century. Theson of religious parents, he was well educated from his boyhood. He had learnedarchitecture in Dorchester and London for ten years and during his architectapprentice period he fostered great interest in Literature. He worked as an architectafter returned to Dorchester and wrote in part time. Later he concentrated himself inwriting and lived most of his life in Dorchester.As a novelist, throughout his life Hardy created fourteen novels and fourcollections of short stories, among which a series of novels are the mostfamous—"novels of character and environment" entitled by the writer himself, andalso called Wessex novels, including Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), TheReturn of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), The Woodlanders(1887), Tess of D'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1896). The last two areHardy's classics.Though there have been many critical responses to Hardy's works since theirpublication, there are still disputes on his religious thought. Some critics believeHardy is anti-religious and a pagan. Some believe that his works are blasphemous andimmoral. Others believe that he is a representative of agnosticism, fatalism andpessimism. Throughout his life, Hardy has been pondering upon Christianity. Hisreligious thought is always in a state of complex and contradictory change. Hisrational rejection of Christianity and emotional nostalgia for Christianity is coordinateand coexisting in his thought. A conclusion should not be drawn about Hardy'sreligious thought according to a certain work in a certain period or certain charactersand plots in a certain work. Nor can his religious thought be defined simply by severalnouns. This thesis is trying to touch the issue concerning Hardy's religious thought byanalyzing systematically Hardy's rational rebellion against and emotional nostalgiafor Christianity in his Wessex novels. There are an introduction part, three chaptersand a conclusion part in this thesis.In the introduction part, the religious state in Victorian Age is introduced. Underthe impact of industrial revolution and biological science, religion loses its dominativestatus in Victorian people's ideology but still is the base of the Victorian morality. Theprevious studies of Thomas Hardy's novels and his religious thought at home andabroad are also introduced in this part.In the first chapter, Thomas Hardy's life is divided into two periods according tothe change of his religious thought. The first period is the "pursuing period"(1840-1862) and the second one the "fence-sitter period" (1862-1928). In the"pursuing period", Hardy is religiously devout and pious. Factors that urge Hardy topursue God in this period are analyzed. In the "fence-sitter period", Hardy doubtsabout, ponders upon and at last rebels against Christianity. Factors that deviate Hardyfrom Christianity are analyzed, at the same time Hardy's emotional conservation ofand nostalgia for Christianity is also indicated. Hardy's Wessex novels are created inthis "fence-sitter period".The third chapter and the fourth chapter are major parts of this thesis. In thesetwo chapters Hardy's six Wessex novels are used as text to analyze his fence-sitterattitude toward Christianity—rational rejection and emotional nostalgia. Twoviewpoints are chosen: Hardy between Darwinism and Christianity and Hardybetween Pessimism and Christianity. In Chapter Three, Hardy's rational rejection ofand emotional nostalgia for Christianity reflected in his Wessex novels is analyzedfrom the viewpoint of Hardy between Darwinism and Christianity. In Chapter Four,the same question is discussed from the viewpoint of Hardy between Pessimism andChristianity.Conclusion: through the analysis of Hardy's Wessex novels this thesis attemptsto draw a conclusion that Hardy can not be identified simply and unilaterally as anatheist or a realist writer who lashes religion relentlessly and his works reflect on onehand his rebuke on Christian dogmatic ecclesiasticism and organic church;on theother hand his nostalgia for Christian spirit and an impersonal God as ultimatesignificance.