Thomas Hardy and the Proper Study of Mankind (Victorian Literature and Culture Series)

Simon Gatrell offers a fresh and stimulating exploration of Hardy's account in fiction of the individual man or woman's relationship with various aspects of the encompassing world- with other men and women, with the aggregation known as society, with the natural and artificial environment, and with the supernatural. He focuses on the importance of community in Hardy's fiction, especially on the ability of rural villages and towns to withstand the stresses of industrialized agriculture and the national standardization of education and culture.

Simon Gatrell offers a fresh and stimulating exploration of Hardy's account in fiction of the individual man or woman's relationship with various aspects of the encompassing world- with other men and women, with the aggregation known as society, with the natural and artificial environment, and with the supernatural. He focuses on the importance of community in Hardy's fiction, especially on the ability of rural villages and towns to withstand the stresses of industrialized agriculture and the national standardization of education and culture.

Booknews

Explores how British novelist Hardy (1840-1928) portrayed the interaction between individual characters and the encompassing world, and the importance he gives to communities, especially to small villages and towns withstanding industrialization. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Simon Gatrell is Professor of English at the University of Georgia. His published works include Hardy the Creator: A Textual Biography, editions of several of Hardy's novels and fictional manuscripts, and a bibliography of George Crabbe (with Tony Bareham).

Simon Gatrell is Professor of English at the University of Georgia. His published works include Hardy the Creator: A Textual Biography, editions of several of Hardy's novels and fictional manuscripts, and a bibliography of George Crabbe (with Tony Bareham).