Bionic Jean’s
Comments
(group member since Jul 27, 2022)
Bionic Jean’s
comments
from the Works of Thomas Hardy group.
Showing 1,981-2,000 of 2,004
What a fascinating collection of memories so far! What strikes me is how diverse they all are. We didn't all become aware of one specific work, but quite a selection!I'll tell you mine. I was watching a film programme on TV, where a film critic (Philip Jenkinson if anyone remembers him. Then Barry Norman took over) reviewed the latest releases. One snippet was the part in Far From the Madding Crowd where (view spoiler)
So dramatic - we all know what happened next! I was smitten, and also puzzled that anyone should be called "Bathsheba", which sounded so Biblical.
It was probably the next year when I saw the film with Julie Christie and Terence Stamp, and also read the book at school.
Oh, by the way Werner - it's called "The Darkling Thrush," and coincidentally, we are reading that poem right now as our weekly choice!
Sara I am mortified to think anyone could read Jude the Obscure at 12!
Thanks Brian :)I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, Michaela.
Welcome Chris, Laurel and Petra. I'm so pleased to see you all here :)Chris - I completely understand your feelings about Jude - and yet I think it is probably his greatest work. Many critics say that of Tess of the D'Urbervilles though, which we'll start reading in September.
Thomas Hardy isn't known for his optimism ... but Jude is definitely the one which hits the hardest. If you join in with the weekly poem, you might like that way in :)
Laurel - You may have time for this too!
Petra - That's an amazing coincidence!
Hello David, nice to meet you and I'm so pleased you've had the chance to visit "Hardy Country" :) I'm kicking myself for having left some of my books about him there; it seemed logical at the time :DAnyway, my planning radar is up, and how would you like to lead "During Wind And Rain" for our weekly poem, the third week in August? John will lead one next week hopefully, so if that's your favourite, it would be perfect :) Then we just need one more.
Thanks everyone, for announcing yourselves, and I'd love to hear from others - whether you join today - or have been here a lot time :)Hopefully this is group where you can just join in now and then if you feel overloaded with groups. Our weekly poem has just started, with an all-time favourite, and I think everyone has time to "stand and stare" for a moment if they like ... Ooops that's another poet ;)
(view spoiler)
It's just less than 24 hours since I alerted anyone to the relaunch, and during that time 58 people have joined the group! That's more than half the original contingent, which is staggering. It makes me feel very humble and grateful - and excited for everything that is to come :)
That's very perceptive, Yoonme. It's as if the thrush can experience joy, but he can't. All Thomas Hardy's work is saturated with his beliefs. He agonised over the Church's disapproval of his novels, but disliked the dogmatic religious beliefs that had begun to sweep England. We have to remember that he lived at the time when there was a reaction by many Christian leaders against Charles Darwin and his The Origin of Species (1859).
Thomas Hardy slowly moved from the Christian teachings of his boyhood to become a thoughtful, questioning agnostic. We see a lot of this questioning popping up in various places. It is possible that he felt it was less controversial doing this by means of poetry than in a novel, and this is why he retreated into poetry for his final years.
If the words are confusing look here https://www.hardysociety.org/media/bi...It beings with a glossary of terms, and then gives a detailed commentary of this poem, for those who like to delve a little deeper.
Personally, I think it significant that Thomas Hardy wrote this poem right at the very end of the nineteenth century, on 31st December 1900. It's reflective, but shows his confused attempt at hopeful thoughts towards the new twentieth century.
Song birds are a recurring motif in many of Thomas Hardy's poems. He is considered to belong to the Naturalist movement; he can often fit with the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature. But here he comes across as essentially a Romantic poet, with a carefully structured piece, in which the song thrush seems to express emotion in its song, and which we are intended to recognise as joy.
We modern readers tend to interpret bird-song differently. We enjoy the variety, whilst knowing that birdsong is a expression of territorial possession. Birdsong in poetry has never gone out of fashion, but today’s poets content themselves with more descriptive representations. It is doubtful whether a modern poet would depict the sheer joy and pleasure in life of the song thrush.
But what do you think?
It's clear why The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy is such a favourite poem for many people. First of all we have a dreary landscape. It is frozen and dark. This scene inspires the speaker, Thomas Hardy, to consider death and how it comes for everyone and everything. He wonders why he should be happy when there is no way to escape this ultimate end. The only thing that cheers the scene is the sound of a bird singing. It confuses him, but he doesn’t think too hard about it. He’s happy enough knowing it exists.
The Darkling ThrushI leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
The land's sharp features seemed to be
The Century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.
Welcome all! I'm sorry not to name you individually, but I'm staggered at how many people have joined in the past few hours (exactly 50!) I'm over the moon and so excited about this group :)It's lovely to read your introductions. Even some good friends are surprising me here, and it's great to meet new enthusiasts of Thomas Hardy!
Wow - lots of comments so soon! Thanks everyone for your kind words. Whether you are a Thomas Hardy newbie, or have read all his works more than once, I am delighted to see everyone :) I think we'll have some great times here.
What a lovely post, thanks Brian :) These are all very familiar to me as I'm lucky enough to spend about a third of the year near Dorchester (I'm English). In fact I should be there right now, but circumstances prevented me. Soon, hopefully!The room with Thomas Hardy's desk in, which you refer to, is part of Dorchester County Museum. It has been specially preserved to be as authentic as possible. Another attraction in the museum for me is all the prehistoric finds by the fossil-hunter Mary Anning.
l'll start a thread for al the places Thomas Hardy lived, in a few days' time. I'm so glad you have seen them, and thank you for sharing this.
The Life and Work of Thomas Hardy has to be important. How did you enjoy it, Brian? And do you recommend Penelope Vigar's book? One thing I find important when recommending books about authors, is whether they are going to contain spoilers. It seem almost inevitable, and yet many readers like to read something about an author when they have only read a couple of their works, but are fired with enthusiasm :)
Some books are separated into chapters: one per work and this is useful for everyone. Is The Novels Of Thomas Hardy: Illusion And Reality like that?
An excellent biography is Thomas Hardy: The Time Torn Man by Claire Tomalin, but it's a while since I read it. I do remember it's chronological :)
Thank you too for your support, Brian :) I hope everyone feels this enthusiastic ... you don't actually have to be called "Brian" to join in by the way :D I'm really excited about relaunching this group!
LOL I kinda worked it out! :D
Our Weekly Poem:An excellent resource for this is provided by the Thomas Hardy Society, which is based in his home town of Dorchester. On their website you can read many of Thomas Hardy's poems. Here is the home page https://www.hardysociety.org/
Our Weekly Poem is a regular feature of the group, for when we do not have an ongoing group read, such as a novel or short stories.
Thomas Hardy always viewed his poetry as his best work, and in fact he wrote nothing else for the final few years of his life, after the bitter outcry by some about his final two novels.
There are many collections of his poetry, and you may well have one or more already. Please use the website above if the weekly poem chosen is not in your collection. Alternatively, the kindle e-book on our shelves is a bargain (it cost me 49p!) and contains them all :)
If you have a favourite poem by Thomas Hardy, and would like to take over this slot for a fortnight (or more or less) - please just let me know. Each poem will have its own thread, and be moved to the Poetry folder after 2 weeks, to create a resource.
So here is the great man, ready to sit back and listen to our chat. Here is where we can talk about pretty much everything, bar politics and religion please! How is life for you? What is happening in your world?
THE KINGS ARMS HOTEL
The Kings Arms Hotel, Dorchester, Dorset (as it is today)
This was Thomas Hardy's favourite hostelry, and it is mentioned in some of his novels. He wrote part of The Mayor of Casterbridge in one of the upstairs rooms. ("Casterbridge" is based on the town of Dorchester.)
