The Aesthetic Significance Of Wessex In Thomas Hardy's Major Novels

Thomas Hardy is best-known for his Wessex works, either fiction or poetry. The author, acknowledging the importance of the background in his literary writings, makes a study on the aesthetic significance of Wessex in Hardy's major novels, especially those Novels of Character and Environment.Wessex as an artistic world does not only has aesthetic significance as the natural backdrop, but is also very important as the social and cultural background. It sets the keynote for the novel, builds the atmosphere, sets off the characters'feelings, and promotes the development of plots. The natural environment is an objective existence with its own unique beauty and value. Besides, it is also the epitome of the patriarchal rural society in the late Victorian Age, including its culture, the changes that happened under certain historical circumstances and the interaction between the society and individuals living in the world. The Wessex world undergoes several phases of development in Hardy's works. The novelist's attitudes and moods have also changed.Unlike sceneries described by some other novelists, Wessex plays a particularly influential part in Hardy's works. Hardy puts into it his artistic views as well as his outlook on life and tragedy. Therefore, the thesis tries to relate the construction of Wessex with the novelist's aesthetic thoughts. In this way, by attaching importance to the background, the thesis attempts to probe into Hardy's thoughts and view Hardy's novels from a different angle.