Thomas Hardy’s Idea Of Human Existence Predicaments—A Textual Analysis Of The Dynasts

Thomas hardy is a significant figure not only in British literary field but also in the whole world. His life spans two centuries which coincide with the transitional period of Britain. Since Hardy lived in the time when capitalism started to boom, the traditional values of patriarchal society were facing unprecedented challenges. In this time, the modern civilization was not yet mature and people living in this period often had a sense of confusion and emptiness. Because of Hardy’s unique perspective, that is, starting from the man himself to examine the inner world of mankind, to care for the fate of people and to explore the way out, he managed to stand out in the literary world.In recent years, the domestic researches on Hardy mainly focus on his novels of character and environment, exploring Hardy’s ideas of tragedy, women, religion and etc. However, researches on his poems are comparatively fewer. And almost no one touched Hardy’s epic drama The Dynasts. Therefore, this dissertation tries to read The Dynasts by analyzing the contexts and attempts to dig out Hardy’s view on the predicaments of human existence brought by war. Contrary to Hardy’s novels featuring the life of a hero, The Dynasts, based on the Napoleon War, represents the chaotic and turbulent situation of Europe. Instead of eulogizing the great achievements of Napoleon, Hardy depicted Napoleon as a dictator and imposer of the existence predicaments.To begin with, this dissertation explores the manifestations of the existence predicaments. Hardy depicted the war in great details, reviewing the destruction of people’s basic living environment and the deprivation of life. When Hardy described the predicament, he also reminisced about the previously peaceful and happy life which contrasted sharply with the violent scene of war. Through the depiction of existence predicaments, we can see Hardy’s detest of war and worry of human fate.Then, the dissertation analyzes the causes of the existence predicaments through the ideas Hardy expressed via the mouth of the Spirit of the Years and the Spirit of the Pities. In Hardy’s eyes, the old hero, who will finally be expelled, is the major cause of the predicaments of human existence. In The Dynasts, the Spirit of the Pities tells the dominant feature—not laying hands on the ordinary, of new hero, which forms a sharp contrast with Napoleon who often put his own interests before anything else. Hardy also expressed his optimistic view that the new hero shall finally conquer the old hero.Finally, the dissertation argues that Hardy hoped to reconstruct an ideal society by instilling the values of the new heroes. The new heroes are different from the old heroes in that the former does not lay heavy hands on the weak. In other words, the new heroes appreciate and value life in all its forms. To Hardy, the new heroes are selfless, visionary and stoical. The present dissertation aims to further explore Thomas Hardy’s view on human existence, hoping that it could contribute to the extension of Thomas Hardy study in China. This research on Thomas Hardy’s works is a significant contribution for further exploration of English literature in the Victorian age, and it can promote further understanding on the writer and his works. Moreover, his works is full of insightful thoughts on life and social development which are thought-provoking on how to develop prosperously.