Hardy, Thomas

The works of Comte, Mill, Darwin and Schopenhauer helped him to shape his thought.

Main novels:
- The Return of the Natives;
- The Mayor of Casterbridge;
- Tess of the D’Ubervilles;
- Jude the Obscure.

. He had a pessimistic view of life.
. From Greek tragedy he derived the notion of cruel gods, indifferent nature and hostile fate.
. Most of his stories are set in the south-west of England.
. Wessex is an area were his stories are set.

Main Themes:
- Being alive (which involves an existence, an experience, and being in a place, an environment);
- Nature (which is a co-protagonist indifferent to man’s destiny);
- Expose of the hypocritical aspects of the Victorian society.
- Christianity is no longer capable to fulfilling the need of a modern man.
- His language is detailed, controlled and rich in symbolism.
- The language of senses plays an important role in his art. (The sense of sight is particularly strong: the characters watch each other and are watched by the rest of Nature).
- He uses a blend of dialogue, description and narration.