Works of Thomas Hardy discussion
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Thomas Hardy
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Thomas Hardy: The Time-Torn Man, by Claire Tomalin
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Hi Brian! Thanks for checking in. I have the same struggles with Goodreads. Either I miss notifications, or I get waaaaay too many. I have also been distracted from reading this biography by my "real life" so you are not alone in that. I'm just starting to read Chapter 12 today. Will post something either later tonight or tomorrow. Please respond whenever you can, and please please do enjoy your family to the fullest! Happy Holidays!!
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This chapter spans the years 1877-1881. During this time, Emma and Tom move back to London so he can be closer to publishers and other writers. It makes perfect sense that Tom would need to be closer to London. So, they rent a house in Tooting. The house still stands at 172 Trinity Road. It’s even got a blue plaque commemorating Hardy’s stay there.
Hardy wrote two novels here: The Trumpet-Major and A Laodicean: A Story of Today. I did not encounter any spoilers as Tomalin described these stories.
The “club” in the title of this chapter refers to “social clubs”, or a gentleman’s club, like one sees on period dramas. Essentially, it’s a place where men could go to get away from the women in their lives. They can even stay overnight in the rooms available for members. Tom uses the Savile Club as his address many times. It is a luxury available only to the wealthy. It is the success of Far From the Madding Crowd that give Hardy financial access to these places. Knowing a little of how insecure Hardy was with class differences, and his lack of education, I can imagine he must have been thrilled to belong to these clubs. It probably made him feel – to some extent – like he had been accepted into the society he wanted.
His friendship with Mrs. Anne Procter (who he met through Leslie Stephens) also helped welcome Hardy into the literati circles of London in the 1880s. I liked learning about her and her circle. She strikes me as a the “Gertrude Stein” or 1880. How exciting it must have been for Tom to meet Tennyson in person! It was interesting how Tomalin weaved in speculation of how Emma reacted to Tom’s new fame and connections. Some people – like the Macmillians who were also outsiders being from Scotland – took to Emma right away, others did not.
The notes from, Richard Bowker (American representative of Harpers) were especially illuminating., They say positive things about Emma, but if you read between the lines, you can see she is overly concerned with Tom’s career. More than ever this chapter left me with the thought that if Tom and Emma had only had children, they might have had a happier marriage. First, there is the grief of being unable to conceive; but there is also the hole that was left in Emma’s life. She lacked purpose, and the easiest thing to give her life meaning was Tom’s writing. She thrives when Tom gets sick, and she becomes his secretary/manager and helps bring A Laodicean: A Story of Today to the publishers.
Financially though, things are going well for the Hardy’s now. The seed is planted in this chapter for the home they will eventually build in Dorchester.
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If you are interested in more details about the Hardy Tooting home, here is a link to an article published in 2022 when the home went up for sale. In the article in mentions Hardy studying at King's College in 1860s. Technically this is true, but he only took night classes there. He was studying French. He was not matriculated as a proper student, as we know because he had a great deal of insecurity about not being as educated as his peers, like Horace Moule or Leslie Stephens.
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/propert...
Chapter 11: Dreaming the Heath - Comments1. BRIDGET’S COMMENT
The first things that struck me for comment about the Hardy’s first home in Sturminster are things that struck Bridget too. I’ll add my 2 cents in, though:
a. Nature - As Bridget noted, Tomalin wrote descriptively about Sturminster and the surrounding area. If you add in the chapter title reference to the Heath at the center and it seems clear that Tomalin was purposely descriptive to mirror Hardy’s noted natural descriptiveness and character-like setting of Egdon Heath in the book he was writing at this time The Return of the Native
b. Childlessness - I knew Hardy did not have any children but was not aware of his or Emma’s desire to have them. Tomalin portrays their failure fairly poignantly, calling it “the saddest thing about their life together,” and had me feeling bad for them and for the marital troubles to come. I’m pretty sure that our having to be united when parenting together kept my wife and I distracted from giving weight to any petty differences we may have had during that time period.
c. Marriage - the depiction of Tom and Emma walking together did have me thinking that the marriage was in a relatively (for their marriage) good place during this two year period in Sturminster, likely helped by the closeness necessary when trying to have children. It is still too early for the inevitable frustration to become a detriment to the relationship.
2. THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE (TROTN)
a. Chapter Depiction - I anticipate that much of the chapter would be on the publishing history, writing process and other historical and biographical details surrounding TROTN, but I was a little surprised that so much of this chapter was about the plot and stylistic details of the novel. From how Tomalin describes the novel, it appears that she, like Tom, seems to regard it highly. Not that I disagree. Not in the least.
b. My POV on TROTN
- I first read TROTN back in 1979 to 1980 when I read all of Hardy’s Big 5, Tess, Jude, Mayor, Return & Madding. When I read it back then as a 26 to 27 year old, I wasn’t that impressed by it and preferred Tess, Mayor and especially Jude. When I re-read the Big 5 during the 2010s, I not only had aged 30-40 years but I had read all his other novels and had a better feel for the Hardy style and themes. This time around, TROTN impressed me more than any of the others. I still love Jude, but it does lose a bit on a re-read. I still rate Jude as my favorite Hardy because of how impactful of an experience my first read of it was.
- I appreciated the poetic descriptiveness of TROTN much more as a 60+ year old than as a young man. I especially appreciated his use of Egdon Heath as a character, portraying it similarly to how a castle is used in gothic novels. I think TROTN does have a certain gothic feel to it.
- A great novel, maybe the most representative of Hardy, but probably not the best to assign to high school kids. It was the one often assigned in my 1960s- early 70s high school days and, while I escaped its assignment, I know my older brother and sister who were assigned it were definite backers of its reputation as one of the most boring of the assigned classic books.
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I'm glad you felt for the Hardys in the same way I did, Brian. I've known many couples who have had infertility issues, and its really a grief they have to process. It's so hard. I've known couples who did not survive the ordeal. It really does explain a lot of the struggles Tom and Emma had.
" I especially appreciated his use of Egdon Heath as a character"
I very much agree with you here. This is the start of Hardy's "Wessex" becoming a place that some people - even to this day - think is real. Hardy is so descriptive, the place becomes a character - as you said.
I'm so glad you got to re-read TROTN later in life. I've done that recently with "A Tale of Two Cities". I was assigned it in high school. But I didn't know enough about the history of the French revolution at the time, and the plight of the peasants in France to really appreciate what Dickens was writing. I read it last year with my son (who also had it assigned) and really loved it. I tried to explain some of the history to him, but I'm not sure what I said sank in. He may have to re-read it forty years later as well.
But right now I'm looking forward to my first read of TROTN. This biography is making me want to read so much more of Hardy.
Thanks for reading the biography along with me Brian!
Bridget wrote: "Thanks for reading the biography along with me Brian!.."Back at ya Bridget. This book does make for a good Buddy Read. And the slow pace works with this book because, even if it's a week between chapter readings, there is no loss of any plot thread details as would happen with fiction books or non-fiction works on subjects I'm unacquainted with. It's easy to get back to where you were.
Chapter 12: Hardy Joins a Club Comments1. TOOTING
My flawed knowledge of Hardy’s life continues to bring me surprises. I was unaware that Tom and Emma would spend three years of their late 30s/early 40s life in London. They will stay there through the end of TROTN and 2 more novels before heading to Dorset. So Hardy will have issued 8 of his 14 novels before ending up in Dorset.
2. BRIDGET’S COMMENT
a. Savile Club - As Bridget noted, Hardy’s sensitivity to class must have made him proud to be a Savile Club member. I agree, but the Hardy insecurity still dominates and probably prevents him, as Tomalin notes, ever becoming a “clubbable man.” That’s just as well. It’s more fun getting my insight into that world from another favorite author, P.G. Wodehouse.
b. Anne Procter - It was great to read about Tom’s contact with other writers that his acquaintance with Ms. Proctor provided him. As Bridget noted, she seems like a Gertrude Stein for that time and place. I especially enjoyed that Tom met
- Henry James - a critic of his, and author that, according to Tom’s accurate analysis, was “without poetry, humor or spontaneity.” Yet Tom and Emma still liked to read James’ novels. I too feel that way about James yet still like to read his novels.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson – reading books such as this and novels of the time remind me of just how popular Tennyson was at the time – he was a rock star/movie star of the time. I have to be reminded as he is not so widely read these days. But then poetry and poets were still preeminent back then with novels gradually obtaining their prominence over poetry in the early 20th Century. It’s too bad that Tom didn’t take Lord T up on his social invitations because, as Tomalin speculates, he was embarrassed by what she might say. Tom’s natural insecurities prevent his socializing with Lord T and being a more active clubbable man.
c. Marriage - the depiction of Tom being embarrassed by Emma saddened me. Tom himself notes that it was in Tooting House that their troubles began. As Emma entered her 40s, it would have been at this time that the permanent nature of the infertility problems would have hit home.
3. TWO MINOR NOVELS
I thought it interesting that after publishing one of his top class serious literary works, TROTN, Hardy went ahead and wrote two novels that Hardy himself characterizes as lesser novels. I found it a bit head scratching at first that Hardy spent his years in the literary center of Britain writing what he himself deems works of lesser literary value, ones that rank on Goodreads as having the 12th and 14th number of ratings out of is 14 novels.
a. The Trumpet Major - Hardy put this novel into the category of “Romances and Fantasies“ novels he considered of less literary caliber than his major literary works. Tomalin notes that he appeared to do so in order to write a book that would be more easily publishable and more befitting the public’s taste. I enjoyed it and only note that it is another Hardy, like UTGT and FFTMC with a heroine with 3 suitors
b. The Laodicean Not much is said about this novel, which is appropriate as it ranks as the Hardy with the least amount of GR ratings. While I enjoyed it, it is one of Hardy’s 3 Novels of Ingenuity, which Hardy himself considers of less literary value and , as they rank 11th 13th and 14th out of 14 in number of GR ratings for Hardy novels, is a sentiment the current reading public shares.
Since I bring it up in the previous post, I thought it best to post this list in case Bridget or anyone else hadn’t seen it before. It is from Wikipedia:In 1912, Hardy divided his novels and collected short stories into three classes:
Novels of Character and Environment
• The Poor Man and the Lady (1867, unpublished and lost)
• Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School (1872)
• Far from the Madding Crowd (1874)
• The Return of the Native (1878)
• The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character (1886)
• The Woodlanders (1887)
• Wessex Tales (1888, a collection of short stories)
• Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented (1891)
• Life's Little Ironies (1894, a collection of short stories)
• Jude the Obscure (1895)
Romances and Fantasies
• A Pair of Blue Eyes: A Novel (1873)
• The Trumpet-Major (1880)
• Two on a Tower: A Romance (1882)
• A Group of Noble Dames (1891, a collection of short stories)
• The Well-Beloved: A Sketch of a Temperament (1897) (first published as a serial in 1892)
Novels of Ingenuity
• Desperate Remedies: A Novel (1871)
• The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters (1876)
• A Laodicean: A Story of To-day (1881)
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In 1912, Hardy divided his novels and collected short stories into three classes:.."
Brian, I read through your post about Chapter 12 and this list a couple days ago, and I meant to reply right away, but then I got distracted by my family :-). So, sorry this is late.
I love this list you posted! I didn't know Hardy made such a classification - what a wonderful tool Wikipedia can be. Placing this list at our finger tips! I'm so glad you copied it out in full instead of providing a link. It will be nice to refer back to as time goes on. Plus I love that it has all the publishing dates. I have a hard time remembering when each book was written.
Thank you!!
I have not read the "Novels of Ingenuity". What do you think he means with that word? Perhaps they were just hard to categorize any other way. Have you read any of them?
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I had not done the math for this, but you are right! That's more than half the novels he will ever create. And as you point out, he's writing "unserious" novels while in the middle of literary London. Of course he was doing that to make money. Ironic that the lesser novels make more money for Hardy than the ones we think of as his master works.
"That’s just as well. It’s more fun getting my insight into that world from another favorite author, P.G. Wodehouse"
This is a great comment! I agree, there is no one as good as Wodehouse for giving us a glimpse of the club life!
"the depiction of Tom being embarrassed by Emma saddened me."
Yes, I agree! The Hardy marriage so often makes me sad. I know that it is going to lead to some amazing poetry, but it's still sad.
Bridget wrote: " I read through your post about Chapter 12 and this list a couple days ago, and I meant to reply right away, but then I got distracted by my family :-). So, sorry this is late. We've established that we are doing a leisurely Buddy Read which means never having to say you're sorry about being leisurely.
Bridget wrote: "I have not read the "Novels of Ingenuity". What do you think he means with that word? Perhaps they were just hard to categorize any other way. Have you read any of them?.."
I have read all Hardy's novels so I have read his 3 Novels of Ingenuity. While I hadn't thought too much about what he meant by that word, your question spurred me to think about it. Here's my thoughts:
1) Hardy wrote: Desperate Remedies to bein the style of the sensation novels so popular in mid-19th century Britain. In fact it's #13 on the Goodreads list of Sensation Novels: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1....
2) With The Hand of Ethelberta Hardy was trying to write a novel that was a romantic comedy, presumably using the term comedy in a broader sense.
3) I consider A Laodicean to also be like a sensation novel. It involves a woman inheriting a medieval castle and uses plot devices such as falsified telegrams and faked photographs that are atypical for Hardy but typical for sensation fiction
CONCLUSION: I think using the term "Ingenuity" is Hardy using a term that puts a positive spin on these works. I think a similar but more accurate term would be to call them Novels of Contrivances as contrivances abound in the Sensation novels and romantic comedies of the time period.
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This chapter picks up where the last left off, with Tom and Emma still in Tooting but now Tom is healthy once again. Its April 1881 – and as a refresher (because I’m beginning to forget the timeline a bit), Tom and Emma have know each other for eleven years as they met in March 1870. They’ve been married for 7 years and lived in 7 different places. They blame Tom’s bad health on the London air and decide to leave the city once again for Dorset, this time in Wimborne, near the Hampshire border.
In June of 1881, a large comet is visible in England, and this seems to spur Hardy’s imagination towards astronomy. It fuels his next novel, Two on a Tower. As Tomalin writes about Hardy’s intrigue with the science of astronomy, I couldn’t help thinking about how often science finds its way into Hardy’s writing. I know we rightly associate Hardy with the natural world, with country fairs, and farm laborers; but there is also an undercurrent of burgeoning science and industrialization in his writing, so it was interesting to read about his astronomy curiosity. Actually, I think that interest predates Two on a Tower because he writes beautifully about the constellations in FFMC.
Tomalin describes much of the plot of Two on a Tower, and all should know it contains spoilers. But again, for me personally, the spoilers don’t seem to stick in my head. What I do remember is Two on a Tower contains another strong female lead character – a pattern that repeats and repeats in Hardy’s work. So many heroines. And once again Hardy is examining class with a rich Lady and a poor boy romance. I find it interesting that Tomalin says the “tower” itself is a center piece of the book
”a solid structure, a poetic dream place where things are possible that are not allowed in the real world”.
This strikes me as similar to what Brian describes in TROTN, where Egdon Heath itself is almost a character in the story. This is a hallmark of Hardy’s work, I think. The ability to make places come alive. Some people even today think Wessex is a real place, and not Hardy's fictional version of Dorchester. That's how powerful the sense of place is in his works.
The Hardy marriage seems content/stable in these years. Emma’s relationship with her sister seems strained by jealousy on Helen’s part. Too bad because Helen and her husband, Rev Holder, were part of Emma and Tom meeting at St. Juliot rectory. The Holders were always supportive of their relationship, but that connection seems to be gone in 1882 with the death of Rev Holder. And there isn’t any other family support for the couple now.
Most interesting was the chapter ending with Hardy publishing an essay about rural laborers. How their lives and education have improved, but how the fabric of the community is eroding. These are burgeoning thoughts Hardy will explore masterfully in the novels to come.
Chapter 13: The Tower - Comments1. TOM & EMMA MARRIAGE
As I don’t expect much marital bliss from Tom and Emma the fact that they seem to have no difficulties, strife or avoidance issues during this period is a positive. My conjecture is that the stress of returning to southwest England where their less-than-supportive families reside influenced them to give each other a break. An example is Emma’s difficulties with her sister that Bridget mentions.
I was very pleased that the couple returned to the locale of their honeymoon, Paris, and seemed to rekindle things a bit. Tomalin describes a fairly engaging month of leisurely pleasure for the couple, noting that for Emma ”it was the sort of jaunt she loved.” As to Tom, Tomalin does mention that “he was happy with Emma in Paris.”
The dedicated Tom chose to go on the Paris trip instead of making revisions to his novel Two on a Tower. It appears Tom thought the two of them needed some fun together time so I bet Tom entered the trip with an attitude to make it a success.
2. THE LAODICEAN
The chapter discusses two Hardy novels. Before he was writing Two on a Tower he was finishing The Laodicean. This is not a novel that Hardy seemed to enjoy writing or respect. Tomalin notes that for the ending installments, Tom was sick and just wanted to get it done. So, of course, the “result was poor and scrambled together.” For good reason, this novel ranks last of Hardy’s 14 novels in GR ratings.
3. TWO ON A TOWER
In contrast, Tom seemed to enjoy the process of both developing and writing his next novel, Two in a Tower. That made me feel a bit startled that Tom didn’t choose to do some final editing on this book. I think this was more because he was just satisfied with his effort on the book and not because he didn’t care about the novel. Perhaps Tom’s intent to write a more popular than literary work may have influenced his less perfectionist attitude toward the book.
Unlike with the Laodicean where Tom was dissatisfied and wanted to get the writing over with, Tom seemed to feel energized by writing this book. It was sparked by his own interest in astronomy and the upcoming real life Transit of Venus in the sky. Tom even sought out a real life tower he could use to visualize the tower observatory at the center of this novel. As Tomalin notes, Tom had “no trouble meeting deadlines” for the Atlantic Monthly serialization which indicates Tom’s ease with this writing effort.
When I read it, this novel felt a bit different from other Hardy novels to me and I enjoyed it more than I had anticipated. I often wondered why he didn’t categorize it with his Novels of Ingenuity because, as Tomalin notes, it has “the heavy paraphernalia of the Victorian thriller” where “coincidences pile up one after another.” Sounds just like the elements Hardy utilized in his other three Novels of Ingenuity. My conclusion is that Hardy categorized it with his “Romances and Fantasies” instead because, to Hardy, the book’s sensation elements were secondary in importance to the age and class differential romance he placed at the story’s center.
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2003 Film with Ciaran Hinds as Henchard
The year is 1883. Tom and Emma are renting a house in Dorchester. The land (an acre and a half) for Max Gate has been purchased. House plans are being drawn up, and the Hardy family will build it. Tom and Emma become fixtures in their little corner of Dorchester. Tom is a Justice of the Peace, and a sought after celebrity. Emma’s life is more solitary, I would even say uninteresting. She goes to church, she corresponds with friends, but there is no nest of family to which she belongs. She has no work to do. They aren’t travelling anymore. Therein come the “conformers” of the title. I think of it more like complacency. It reminds me of our feeling today that the suburbs are boring, that nothing happens there.
I thought this chapter would mostly be about the building of Max Gate, really this chapter is about the writing of The Mayor of Casterbridge. I had not realized there was a three-year gap between the writing of Two on a Tower and TMOC. I also had not realized that Hardy felt “a fit of depression” when TMOC was finished. Though that does not surprise me. Not just Hardy, but for any author, creating a novel must be an all consuming feat, and I can easily imagine a big hole of depression left when the writing is done.
Here are some of my favorite moments in this chapter.
First, I loved Virginia Woolf’s description of Max Gate in 1923, when she visited:
”with rolling massive downs, crowned with little tree coronets before and behind”
I’ve not been to Max Gate, but I can imagine how the roads and concrete must have built up around it, so that today it no longer looks like open land with wide views. You can tell just by looking at a map, the freeways lead almost to the front door. https://www.bing.com/maps?q=max+gate&...
I also loved reading about Tom planting “an infant forest”, on the land. How sad that Florence cut the trees down after he died. I wonder why? Were the trees infested, or blighted? Or was growth and progress responsible? I feel sad that they are no longer there to visit.
And how about all the Roman ruins he found on his property. I think that experience shows up in his poetry later on. I’m thinking about “The Roman Road” poem. One of the things I love about Hardy is how he seems to have this vision of the past and present existing simultaneously. That comes out especially in his poetry. I wonder if moments like this (where he discovers centuries old graves as he is about to build his permanent home) are when he starts thinking about this theme.
And then there is the fact that he doesn’t tell Emma about the skeletons. He doesn’t want her to have negative (or more negative??) associations with their new home. It occurs to him they might be a “evil omen”. There I think we see some of the superstitions that Hardy will attribute to the laborers and country people of his novels. I think of the dairy maids’ superstitions in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. I think these beliefs are part of what makes Hardy a complex man. A “time torn” man. He’s got one foot in the old beliefs and one foot heading into the 20th century.
I was surprised to learn that in 1883 Tom and Emma made their first venture into “The Season” in London and would continue that for 25 years! I would have thought Hardy would prefer the beauty of summer in the countryside. But then, all the attention from the aristocracy fits with Hardy's personality as well. How interesting that he became good friends with Mrs. Jeune and especially her daughters. That must have eased the pain of being childless for him. But once again, how sad it was for Emma that she was not liked by this family.
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I've never read A Laodician: A Story of Today ... I think the title probably scared me off! But now you describe it, Brian I really want to read it LOL!
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Hi Jean! So nice to see your name pop up on this thread :-) Join us whenever you can. You already know so much about Hardy's biography you can easily come in and comment as you like.
Same for everyone really. You don't have to be reading along. If you find a moment of Hardy's life compelling, please feel free to add your thoughts. I didn't know that much about Tom and Emma Hardy. I'm learning so much, and its enriching my thoughts about his poetry and prose.
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Ah, finally we arrive at the writing of Tess of the D’Urbervilles – which is my favorite Hardy novel, and actually one of my favorite novels ever. I’ve read it twice. I will likely read it again. I find more things to love about it with every read. Admittedly, I always find myself frustrated with the preposterous amount of bad luck that befalls Tess. Of course, this fits with Hardy’s suggestion at the end of the novel that The President of the Immortals was sporting with her all along (and by inference with all of us).
So, I love this line by Tomalin ”there are other examples in his fiction of people suffering from exceptionally bad luck . . . it looks as though it has been willed, by the gods, or fate, or possibly by the author”. . I share that same sentiment!
But, this chapter doesn’t start with Tess. My exuberance over Tess has caused me to jump ahead. The chapter starts in 1885. Tom and Emma are now living in Max Gate, though this chapter doesn’t talk much about the house itself. Instead, this chapter is more about Hardy’s internal thoughts and personal philosophy and how that affects his writing of The Woodlanders (1885), and Tess (1889-91).
Interestingly, Hardy says that The Woodlanders is the favorite of his novels, simply because he likes the story. I kind of love that. I haven’t read TW yet, but now I’m looking forward to it.
Tomalin then dives into more potential causes for the darkness in Hardy’s novels. She tells us he read philosophers like Schopenhauer. More importantly, she talks about his break with his Christian faith. We’ve already glimpsed some of this in Hardy’s younger days as his imagination and intellect tried to make sense of the sermons he heard from the pulpit; and left him with more questions than answers.
Yet, Hardy never completely broke with this Christian faith. He retained some of the Christian ideals of “do unto others” and “helping your neighbor”. We see some of that in his writing - where the farm laborers and country people help each other.
But he lost the key part of faith, which is the belief in a benevolent God who looks out for humankind. Instead, he seems to cling to the idea of an omniscient someone (or something) who doesn’t look out for anyone. That’s a bleak place to be. It doesn’t leave room for a humanist philosophy, where people look out for each other, because there is still the “immortal” playing sport with us all.
I found the details about the publishing of Tess fascinating. Unlike other novels, where Hardy had deadline pressure, he now has enough money to write at his own pace. How clever of him to publish Tess in magazines first, taking out the controversial parts (like the baby christening). And then to put them all back in and publish the book as he wanted. It makes me wonder if some of his other novels (Two on a Tower for example) might have been masterpieces if he had only spent more time revising them.
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It's interesting how Claire Tomalin chronicles Thomas Hardy's religious doubts, nailing them to a particular period. Thank you for highlighting that it was nor so much a loss of Faith, as an adjustment in his beliefs. I think people can tend to oversimplify it, but you have expressed it so well 😊
So sorry I'm behind. I'll catch up later in the week. I'm still busy on a work project, and don't pick this up often. I'm reading each chapter much more thoroughly that I normally do, which also slows me down. I'm taking notes and checking things out while I read.But It also is making this 'slow read' a very enriching and rewarding reading experience. I'll post my Chapter 14 review shortly.
Chapter 14: Conformist Comments1. THE SUCCCESFUL LIFE
The overriding atmosphere in this chapter is about Tom living as a relatively successful author. Tomalin starts off the chapter describing Tom’s return to Dorchester as taking responsibilities ‘as a prosperous citizen’ and even assuming his duties as a Justice of the Peace. Here are some aspects of his successful life I thought interesting:
a. Max Gate
I probably most enjoyed getting the information about Max Gate, especially that
- ‘Architect’ Tom designed it and had his father and brother as builders;
- It was more solidly functional with no running water but a flush toilet and ‘not beautiful’ with an ‘ungainly exterior.’
- The name comes from a nearby abandoned toll gate called Mack’s Gate. I disagree that the name has ‘nothing of the primitive rustic life’ in it. Max Gate had a hard sound to my ears that could evoke either primitive rustic or harshly urban settings.
- He created his own forest, planted the trees and loved it. It saddens me, no angers me that Florence removed the forest after Tom died. Once again, what a b|+#% !!!
b. The ‘Season’ in London
Interesting that for 25 years Tom and Emma lived in London for June and July and that:
- He liked to hob-nob with the upper crust and enjoyed a patron-like friendship with a wealthy socialite named Mrs. Jeune that Edith Wharton would have except that, unlike Tom, Wharton was also independently wealthy.
- They stayed in a nice hotel, the Saville, and had a nice discussion with William Dean Howells, the dean of American realist movement, at a party at the Saville;
2. TOM & EMMA MARRIAGE
Despite the successful atmosphere, this was sadly still a period without much marital bliss from Tom and Emma, even without much in difficulties, strife or avoidance issues. There are two Tomalin quotes that struck me:
- “To find that Emma’s zest for life, so much prized by him during their wooing, was not so attractive to others, that her charm fell flat was upsetting,” as Tomalin points out because Emma’s charms fell flat as her looks faded, she got heavier and her ‘once delightful’ talk that ‘strayed from the point’ was now ‘disconcerting.’
- That Mrs. Jeune’s two daughters who became lifelong family-like friends with their “Uncle’ Tom, disliked Emma.
3. THE CONFORMERS
- I enjoyed Tomalin’s ending that brought everything full circle, summing up the chapter’s theme as reflected in the title, with a depiction of Tom spending time in his Justice of Peace duties and even occasionally accompanying his ‘regular churchgoer’ wife at church as they become a ‘worthy pair of conformers.
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It's interesting how Claire Tomalin chronicles [author:Tho..."
Hi Jean! So glad you commented, always nice to see your name pop up. Indeed, I remember Tess is a favorite of yours as well. How could it not be a favorite? Well, at least that's our opinion on the matter. ;-)
Thank you for liking my comments about Hardy's religious views. This book is truly deepening my thoughts about Hardy, particularly his religious/philosophical views. I'm so happy to be reading it.
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1. THE SUCCCESFUL LIFE
The overriding atmosphere in this chapter is about Tom living as a relatively successful author. Tomalin starts off the chapter describing ..."
Oh the trees!! I know that was heart-breaking for me. I don't know anything about Florence (yet) - other than she cut down these trees, so my opinion of her is starting out quite low!
Also, I completely agree with you about the name "Max Gate". I think it has a lovely rustic sound to it. Sharp, crisp, to the point, not fancy at all. I think that suits the Hardys. I'm so glad you wrote the story of how it got named in your comments. So later on, when I only vaguely remember that story, I can find it again in this thread!
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This chapter, as the title, is all about the Hardy marriage. As we’ve seen before, the Hardys are settled into the community at Max Gate. Tom is a Justice of the Peace. Emma is an active member of the church. (Which could itself be a dividing issue for the couple. We’ve already seen Tom’s relationship to the church is complicated). By the time we reach the 1890s, Tom is still affectionate to Emma, at least in his letters to her, but he is more openly flirting with younger women.
But we haven’t yet reached the great rupture in their relationship where Emma basically locks herself in the attic. In this chapter, we see Tom and Emma using some of their newfound wealth from “Tess” to go to Italy. It’s an ambitious trip. They visit Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan. Emma writes wonderful descriptions in her diary. Tom writes wonderful poetry. I loved that they followed in the footsteps of Shelly and Keats. And that Henry James was making the same tour of Italy, at the same time, but in the opposite direction. It shows how important Hardy has become in the literary world, since he carries letters of introduction (from Robert Browning) to the same people H. James was meeting.
Back at home in Dorset, the problems of marriage loom larger. I find that in my own life. Holidays are lovely, but then you go home and face reality once again. Being left out of any mention of her contributions to Hardy’s writing is a deep wound for Emma. That wound becomes bigger when Hardy starts showing interest in other female writers.
Not that I think Emma is responsible for a major part of Tom’s novels. Yet, I’m certain she helped him – not just as a wife – but almost as a sort of secretary. Especially early on in his writing career – with "Far From the Madding Crowd". She copied pages for him. She talked with him, and he used her ideas. I loved Tomalin’s observation that it would have cost Tom very little to dedicate a book to Emma, and it would have made her so happy. But I understand given Tom’s own insecurity in his educational background, his lack of self-esteem, his class struggles – why he needed to take all the credit for himself. There was no ability on his part to share. Other than buying her houses and taking her on trips. And occasionally acknowledging a contribution she made.
And how about Robert Louis Stevenson’s wife Fanny, who had this to say after meeting Tom and Em. Tom was a ”quite pathetic figure, a pale, gentle, frightened little man, that one felt an instinctive tenderness for, with a wife . . . ugly is no word for it”!! I don’t know anything about Fanny Stevenson, but that is a pretty damning description of both Tom and Emma.
And then there is Rosamund Tomson, who Tom met at Lady Jeune’s house. She was a writer as well, and Hardy openly flirted with her in the summer of 1889. That can’t have been an easy thing to watch for Emma. It’s around this time that Emma starts writing in her diary about the disappointments and resentments in her marriage. Yet even until 1895, Tom was still writing to her calling her “my dearest” and saying he missed her when he was away. Marriage is a complicated thing, and one can never really know what goes on between spouses. But Tomalin is doing a decent job of painting a picture of what happened to Tom and Em.
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I'm enjoying your insights as to their relationship. I remember thinking how sad it was that Emma felt obliged to stop her own creative endeavours. If she had not married, or had married differently, perhaps we would have seen more of her work. As you said "I understand given Tom’s own insecurity in his educational background, his lack of self-esteem, his class struggles – why he needed to take all the credit for himself" but it is still a minor tragedy. (I'd be anticipating if I said anything further, about his attitude, but the poems we've read about her reveal it.)
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I'm enjoying your insights as to their relationship. I remember thinking how sad it was that Emma felt obliged to stop her own ..."
Thank you Jean. I'm having a great time reading this book, and learning so much more about Hardy.
You are so right in saying "its a minor tragedy". It does feel that way as I'm reading about Tom and Emma's relationship.
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A Thunderstorm In Town
She wore a 'terra-cotta' dress,
And we stayed, because of the pelting storm,
Within the hansom's dry recess,
Though the horse had stopped; yea, motionless
We sat on, snug and warm.
We have now arrived at the moment when Tom meets the lovely Florence Henniker. She is the woman in the “terra-cotta” dress in the the poem above. Tom and Emma travel to Dublin in 1893, where they stay with Lord Houghton and his sister, Florence Henniker. Florence, is an upper class woman. She is also a writer. It’s sort of the perfect storm to drive a wedge between Tom and Emma. Not only is Tom flirting with Mrs. Henniker, but he is also engaging with her as one writer to another, and for Emma that is perhaps the bigger betrayal.
Florence Henniker
But Mrs. Henniker does not return Tom’s advances. She is happy to remain friends with him, but nothing further happens. She did not want to cross the line established by the proprieties of church for a married woman. This roadblock presented by the church turns Tom farther away from religion.
I have to wonder, as well, if she just didn’t share the attraction to Tom that he felt for her. Though she was happy his attention boosted her writing career. Tom seems to revel in the attention, and though Tomalin doesn’t say this, it seems to me that Tom’s success has gone to his head. That he thinks very highly of himself, and in that way is pulling away from his life with Emma.
Around this time, Hardy starts writing Jude the Obscure. Its very telling that he hires Ms. Tigan as a typist rather than using Emma as he always had. He also collaborates with Mrs. Henniker, asking her opinion about female characters, instead of Emma. In fact, he doesn't show Emma a copy of "Jude" until it is published. There is clearly something wrong in the Hardy house.
The second half of this chapter is completely about the writing of “Jude” – and if you have not read it you might want to skip pages 254-256, as Tomalin spares no words in describing the horror the readers of “Jude” encounter.
Tomalin asserts that Hardy uses his own life for much of the characters and themes of “Jude”. On the one hand, it’s easy to see the parallels between Florence Henniker and Sue Bridehead, in that Florence was sexually unavailable to Hardy as was Sue to Jude. Even when Tomalin says Hardy is “reinventing his childhood only making it worse”, I can still believe her. But then she says
“this prompts the question as to whether he [Hardy] had only lately learnt the facts of his own conception and birth and become aware that he had been unwanted”
at that point Tomalin lost me. I’m certain all authors use events from their lives while writing, but I think they also invent characteristics and plot points for no other reason than their imaginations create them, and they make the stories better.
Of course I’ve not read Jude. So perhaps I’m way off here and Tomalin is correct. When I do eventually read Jude, I will make sure to come back to this chapter and re-read it to see if my opinions change. What is certain, is that after writing “Jude”, Hardy now had enough money to completely give up writing fiction to earn a living. And so, as we know, he devoted himself to poetry.
Bridget wrote: "Chapter 17: The Terra-Cotta DressBut then she says
“this prompts the question as to whether he [Hardy] had only lately learnt the facts of his own conception and birth and become aware that he had been unwanted”
at that point Tomalin lost me...."
Bridget, Hardy's mother was pregnant with Tom so his parents married. His mother had planned to move to a city and work in a restaurant/pub before she became pregnant. So she missed that opportunity and had to stay in the country. It does sound harsh for Tomalin to say that "he had been unwanted" since he seems to have been close to his parents and loved. "Unplanned" might have been a better word.
Chapter 15: The Blighted Star Comments1. TOM’s PERSONALITY
Tomalin had two insightful passages or anecdotes that I found interesting as indicating some aspects of Tom’s personality that we have come to understand:
a. In discussing how no one has yet adequately explained where Tom’s black view of life came from, Tomalin proffered this answer: “something in his constitution made him extraordinarily sensitive to humiliations, griefs and disappointments, and that the wounds they inflicted never healed but went on hurting him throughout his life.” This seems to be right to me, though I’m getting my info from the theory’s proponent.
b. After first expressing sympathy to his friend, fellow author Henry Rider Haggard, after the death of his 10-year old son, Hardy then wrote ”to be candid, I think the death of a child is never really to be regretted, when one reflects on what he has escaped.” I agree with Tomalin’s assessment of this as insensitive. You can say ‘he’s in a better place’ to get that idea of comfort, as that just promotes the joy of an afterlife, but you don’t trash the life the parents were able to provide the son here on earth and, most importantly, you don’t trash the parents grief by saying they shouldn’t regret their son’s death. While Hardy may have had his reasons for saying this, to me it is an indication of another trait Hardy seems to exhibit to me; a relative lack of social skills that makes his interpersonal relationships more difficult. If he intended to just give the Riders a life lecture, he’s tactless, clueless and /or heartless. If he honestly meant to say these words in comfort and, surprisingly in a gifted writer, fumbled the ball, then he is fairly inept at being a friend. I never imagined Haggard and Hardy as friends as they seem such different writers.
2. TWO NOVELS
Much of the section is about Tom’s writing two novels during this period from 1885 to 1891 and starting a third.
a. The Woodlanders
As I plan to re-read tis sometime in the future, I skimmed much of the details so not to get any reminders. I also have seen the movie version with Rufus Sewell and own the DVD. I remember liking it very much. The discussion of it did remind me that
- Two of my four favorite Hardy novels, The Woodlanders and The Return of the Native are the best representative of hardy setting novels in a single rustic area: Little Hincock woods of The Woodlanders and Egdon Heath of TROTN.
- In contrast, the other two of my four favorites, Tess and Jude have more varietal settings.
b. Tess
Not much to add to Bridget’s commentary, just two Tomalin quotes that struck me;
- On Hardy’s fondness for Tess, “he had lost his heart to Tess as he wrote about her.” I understand. I did too, reading about her.
- On how Hardy put Tess in various settings:
“so that she appeared at times an emblematic figure as she moves through the season of the year with their appropriate countryside activities, like a figure in a series of paintings.”
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But then she says
“this prompts the question as to whether he [Hardy] had only lately learnt the facts of his own conception and birth and become a..."
Connie, it so good to see you here! Thank you for commenting. I agree "unplanned" is much better than "unwanted". That's a much more succinct way to say what I was getting at. Tom's parents appear to love him very much, he was never "unwanted". It's true his mother wasn't fond of marriage in general. I'm sure she had regrets, but not about having Tom, or his siblings.
Anyway, like Jean said, Tomalin is just a bit over-fanciful in this section. I think Tom used his life experiences in his work, but he also just made stuff up out of his imagination. Like any author I suppose.
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1. TOM’s PERSONALITY
Tomalin had two insightful passages or anecdotes that I found interesting as indicating some aspects of Tom’s personality that we have..."
Wonderful comments Brian! Thank you. I particularly like the quote you picked where Tomalin discusses reasons for Tom's dark side. I liked that quote as well and agree with you that it rings very true. Like you said, we are getting that info from the proponent of the theory (Tomalin) and as we've discussed above she is not always correct in her postulations. So, it's good to remain skeptical, but she is on the whole, more right than wrong. At least in my opinion. It's a tricky business looking through someone's life and trying to draw conclusions.
Chapter 16: Tom and Em CommentsThis Chapter covers more or less the same time frame as the prior chapter but focusing on the Tom and Emma relationship
1. ITALY TOUR
Tomalin gave a good overview of the six week tour they had in 1885. A few items that struck me:
a. It pleases me that they are able to enjoy themselves when on holiday – that they travel well together. It means they get some happiness out of the relationship. Perhaps they get along best when Tom doesn’t worry about what others are thinking about Emma and Emma has sightseeing to keep her interested.
b. Tomalin does bring up Henry James fairly often, two fairly non-comparable authors in characters, subjects and style. To me Hardy is warm and James is cool.
c. It was interesting that Hardy was such a Shelley fan. I know more about those poets Byron, Shelley & Keats than about their poetry. I’ll have to check him out sometime.
d. I liked Tomalin’s observation that in Genoa Hardy noticed the “marble palaces and the washing lines” while Emma noticed the colors “...yellow, salmon.” Different interests that at least they were both able to pursue
2. MISCELLANEOUS
a. Tess
Again, it’s nice to be reminded that Tess was a success. I think Tomalin calls it the height of his success.
b. Others on Tom and Emma
Yowza, were Tom's literary and non-literary guests unimpressed with Emma. And actually, though less so, with Tom himself. It’s not so much the negative reactions that surprised me, but that they were written down, were fairly vicious and made by guests like Gissing who stayed several nights with them.
RLS wife Fanny on Tom– “quite pathetic figure… with a wife –”
RLS wife Fanny on Emma -“wife-ugly is no word for it.”
George Gissing on Emma – “foolish, discontented and petty.”
George Gissing on Tom – “in the man himself I felt disappointed.”
c. Tennyson
d. Tomalin ended the chapter with the death and funeral of Tennyson. I first thought it was ending on a positive note as a reminder of the writer whose poems had helped bring Tom and Em together. On second thought, the death of Tennyson could be symbolic of the death of anything worthwhile in their marriage.
Chapter 17: The Terra-Cotta Dress CommentsThis Chapter covers two basic topics, Tom’s infatuation with a women and his writing and publishing Jude.
1. FLORENCE HENNIKER
a. I had forgotten that Tom had two women named Florence in his life, wife Florence and crush Florence. This chapter was about his crush Florence Henniker. While this turned out to be unrequited love, as Ms. Henniker was uninterested in having either a romantic and sexual or friends with benefits relationship. It’s probably best that Florence H. didn’t respond as Tom hoped as that might overcomplicate Tom’s life and living situation.
But I suspect it was still a satisfying experience. In the words of Gracie Slick’s brother-in-law Darby, sometimes you just “need somebody to love” so you “better find somebody to love.” That the somebody doesn’t return that love is not as important as having an object to put your love on. By this time, Emma has long failed to be that object for Tom, so Florence H. provides Tom with a needed outlet to bestow his pent up feelings of love.
Interestingly, as I’m typing this, Spotify is playing a song by the rock band “Allo Darlin’” called Angela where the refrain goes ”the hardest thing we have to learn is when those we love don’t love us in return.” Under that perspective, then at least Tom learned a hard life lesson with his relationship to Florence H.
b. Spectre of the RealTomalin mentions the short story that Tom wrote with Florence H. I think Florence wrote a different style of story so the result is not typical Hardy. I did read it about 5 years ago and I actually liked it. I rated it 4 stars though it was probably closer to a 3 star story but, at the time, I was in need of a Hardy fix, so the rating reflects that it really hit the spot.
Here’s my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2. JUDE THE OBSCURE
a. Story
This is one book where Tomalin’s discussion of the plot events is a giant spoiler as the story’s impact is much more if one doesn’t know the extent or nature of the major tragedy involved. I know I felt less of the book’s force on my reread knowing what I earned in the first read. It was still powerful just not nearly so much. I list it as my favorite Hardy on the basis of my original read rather than my reread experience.
b. Tom the Poet
I enjoyed Tomalin’s discussion of Tom turning to writing poetry rather than novels after Jude. She explains it as resulting not just from the poor reception of Jude but from the financial success of both Tess and Jude that provided Tom the opportunity to turn to writing poetry. I like Tom as a person, but he is so sensitive and easily hurt so I did buy that his decision not to write more novels was more of a bitter response to the criticism of Jude.
The reader has learned throughout this biography that Tom felt like more of a poet but wrote novels because they were more lucrative. So Tomalin’s perspective puts a more positive spin on Tom’s actions which helps me better appreciate Tom’s choice to abandon novel writing. Besides, after writing Tess and Jude, it truly is a time to drop the mic. How do you top an ending duo of that?
The Spectre of the RealThis is a link to this group's discussion of this short story from back in June of 2020. Discussion may not be the best word as it consists of my one comment which is basically word-for-word of my review with the addition of a question to the group about the questionable ending that I put into SPOILER tags. So only read the SPOILER after you read the short story.
I'm putting the link here to save you or anyone choosing to read the story from going down into those dusty archives. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
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I found that interesting too. I'm not very knowledgeable about Shelley and Byron, but I thought they both had open ideas about marriage/sexual relationships. So when I read about the Hardys following in their footsteps in Italy, it made me wonder how far Tom's admiration of them extended. Was it just their writing, or also their philosophies on life. Because later on, it seems that Tom wants to copy Shelley and Harriet's marriage to some degree. What do you think, Brian? Is that idea farfetched?
"I first thought it was ending on a positive note as a reminder of the writer whose poems had helped bring Tom and Em together. On second thought, the death of Tennyson could be symbolic of the death of anything worthwhile in their marriage"
What a wonderful connection Brian! I had forgotten that Em and Tom bonded over a love of Tennyson. I think it's brilliant to look at Tennyson's death as symbolic of the Hardy's marriage dying as well.
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I love the song lyric reference! I agree, "Better find somebody to love" is exactly how Tom was feeling. And it's good to remember there are two people in a marriage, just because Tom is the one looking for love elsewhere, doesn't make him the "bad guy", if he truly can't find love from the woman he married.
Glad you agree about the spoilers in "Jude". So true about the initial reading carrying the biggest "punch". As I mentioned, I haven't read "Jude" yet, so I'm trying to forget what Tomalin wrote. I'm not too worried about it, I think I will forget. I can hardly remember what I did last weekend! I too love how Hardy ended his novel writing at the absolute top of his game!
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What a title for a chapter! I have to say, it piqued my interest. Was Emma the Witch and the Wife, or was there someone else? The witch, as it turns out, is Tom’s sister, Mary Hardy. In 1896, while Tom is in London, Emma writes a scathing letter to her sister-in-law, Mary Hardy. She calls her out on many things, including calling her a witch. Mary hands this letter over to the family attorney, a remarkable turn of luck for historians, because to this day the letter still exists. Of course, we don’t know what Mary’s response was – other than the fact that no one from Brockhampton set foot in Max Gate again while Emma was alive. Its possible Emma is partly at fault for the falling out. It takes two after all. But I’m willing to give Emma the benefit of the doubt. I think she was dealt a bad hand with her in-laws. Tom is the only one of Jemima and Tom Hardy’s children to marry. That’s odd, I think. And might explain why Emma had such a hard time finding her place in the family.
Tom’s response to the conflict is unsurprising. He visits his mother and then takes Emma away on extended holiday. I think I would do the same in his shoes. With all the problems Tom and Emma have, this first part of the chapter shows them being very sweet with one another. They help Emma’s niece and nephew. For a childless couple, that must have been a happy thing for them to do. Especially since they are terribly estranged from Tom’s family. But my favorite is that they shared a passion for bike riding. It was Emma’s passion first, and Tom embraced it.
I would think with all the travel, the accumulation of wealth and a shared passion (bike riding), this couple would walk easily into their “golden” years. But Tomalin said it well “anger simmered inside Emma”. She found solace in Christianity, and Tom emphatically did not. That was too big a gap for the couple to cross. Emma secluded herself more and more into the renovated attic. Tom took refuge in his study. That was that.
Meanwhile, the wide world rolled on. The start of the Boer War in 1899 creates much debate in England over the meaning of war. Emma takes the side of the Boers, basically saying they are just fighting oppression by their colonizers (the British). Hardy looks to Buddhism as a source for peace (what did Emma think of that, I wonder!!) and writes one of my favorite poems ever “Drummer Hodge”.
The chapter ends with the turn of the century to 1900 and another of my favorite Hardy poems “The Darkling Thrush”. Each time I read that poem, I see something new.
One final thought. It was interesting to see that another Hardy novel – The Well-Beloved - was published in 1897. It was written hastily in 1891 for Harper’s, which is why we think of “Jude” as Hardy’s final novel. It’s an odd novel. Hardy called it “frankly fantastic”. Emma hated it, for obvious reasons. The novel “can be read as an account of the impossibility of finding satisfaction in human love”. It's about romance, not commitment. I found this take of Tomalin’s interesting: "[Hardy] is simply describing the condition as he has experienced it – with a bow to Shelley, who lived it before him”
The more I think about that trip Emma and Tom took through Italy, tracing the steps of Shelley and Byron; and Tom’s admiration of Shelley, the more I see that trip dooming the Hardy marriage to failure. Tom was (maybe) already thinking he wanted “free love” like Shelley. Which is fine, until your spouse disagrees.
Chapter 18: A Witch and a Wife CommentsThis Chapter covers the period between January 1896 and 1900. More time is spent in this chapter on his personal life.
1. TOM & EMMA
a. August Holiday
In August of 1896 Tom and Emma took an 8 week holiday through central and southeast coastal England and Europe. This is important for the tom and Emma relations because they seem at their best when traveling where Emma is more engaged in things she wants and doesn’t feel ignored by Tom which is how she usually feels. They spend time stranded in Dover for a while and at Waterloo in Belgium
b. At Home
Back home, they don’t seem to be able to get alone. While we’ve talked about Tom feeling slights easily , so does Emma, who seems to attract them. Emma takes acts that only further the split between her and Tom:
- As Bridget discusses, she gets in a tiff with Tom’s sister making some nasty accusations
- She gets more religious, even giving the non-religious Tom a bible and commenting that happy marriages can exist but “usually when both are Christians
- She seems to complain about Tom indiscriminately, such as seeking marital advice from the wife of Tom’s writer friend Kenneth Grahame
Emma could have stood to celebrate the December 23rd feast of Festivus which has its primary ritual of “the airing of the grievances.” She needed an outlet and the diary wasn’t enough
c. Other Positives
- BICYCLING – They seem to be able to get along biking together for miles both at home and during their vacations. It helps that it’s an activity that started, I believe when Tom bought Emma a bike due to her mobility disability. Then Emma became proficient and Tom chose to join her. It is nice to picture them having pleasant experiences together biking thought the countryside and towns in Dorset and throughout England and the continent. They biked during their August of 96 trip and a later one to Switzerland.
- READING – They both read and liked James' The Wings of the Dove. Emma struggled with Tolstoy and Rousseau but many do. It’s nice to picture the nearing 60 year-olds bonding over something. That it could be a book, Tom’s career choice, would have helped Emma’s insecurities.
2. TOM AND OTHERS
a. Women
Tm needs the companionship of women he admires. Unfortunately, he doesn’t admire Emma so he continues with flirtations with various, generally talented women. There’s Violet Hunt, who also was a friend of H.G. Wells and Elizabeth Robbins, an American actress starring in some of Ibsen’s controversial works
b. Writers
I just made reference to the playwright Ibsen who shared Tom’s ability to scandalize audiences, and befriending a “friend” of Wells. Also Kenneth Graham’s wife being a source of advice for Emma. And Tom and Emma are reading Henry James together and enjoying it. Tomalin has two references to Henry James in this chapter. The first was that Henry and Tom were the only maskless attendees at a masked ball in the London season of 1896. We already know they aren’t to befriends but they seem to get referenced together fairly often.
3. TOM THE AUTHOR
a. Tom the Dramatist
I don’t think Tom ever wrote a play. However this chapter says that he went to Waterloo for research on a play he might write about the Napoleonic War. It makes sense that he might first think about it after he decided he wouldn’t write any more novels. But sometime prior, there was talk about Tom getting “involved” in the dramatization of Tess. I do know that Tom was “involved in dramatizations of his works, but I don’t know to what extent. Was he an advisor, a help or a pest or just an interested party? Maybe I’ll learn more later. Some mention of play versions of Tess was made in the novel Winter by Christopher Nicholson which I read several years ago. It’s a worthwhile read.
b. Tom the Poet
Some very nice talk about what influenced Tom to write some of his poems with examples. I really have to get over my aversion to poetry. Hardy’s poems are very accessible compared to most. I should be able to enjoy them more. How I can enjoy poetic writing in novels yet not in poems I can’t explain. But I always enjoy reading about what influences the writing of them.
c. Novelist
His only novel was The Well-Beloved serialized with some differences as The Pursuit of the Well-Beloved before Jude was written. Tom considers it almost a non-novel. I thought the story was unusual and a bit creepy actually. Now for a bit of a personal story about it.
The Well-Beloved was technically first published in 1897 by Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. My wife gave me a copy of that first edition on our first wedding anniversary, the “paper” anniversary, in July of 1981. It was a thoughtful of her to look for a first edition of my favorite author and that was the only one available for sale in our town. There was no Internet back then and I would imagine buying a first edition of Tess or Jude would have been an affordable option at that time only if we postponed having children.
The funny thing is that for years I presumed that it WAS NOT an actual first edition but didn’t tell my wife my thoughts. Our local well-respected used bookstore Prairie Archives sold it to her. But when I finally looked thoroughly through title pages some years later and saw it was actually Volume XVII of a series called “The Wessex Novels published in 1897 by Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. I presumed that my wife had only bought the first edition of the series because the book would have had to have been published first as not part of the series. That could explain the reasonable price. Either that or the bookstore guy misled my wife. I didn’t tell my wife it wasn’t an “actual” first edition of the book. How could I? I still loved it. Again, there was no Internet back then to check.
Years went by and I spent many hours and bought many a book from Prairie Archives and grew to realize that the owner and his son who ran it would never mislead anyone. So sometime around 2010, I finally got around to thinking I’d ask them about it. They’d probably have no idea what I was talking about, so I first I needed to look on the internet to make sure I had enough information to know what I was talking about it.
On the net, I found out that yes, indeed, The Well-Beloved first edition was as Volume XVII of The Wessex Book series in 1897. They didn’t publish the whole series then, just the volume with The Well-Beloved. It makes some sense as why publish it twice and if you do it as the series edition you’re likely to at least sell it to people who own the complete set who will have to buy the novel to continue having the complete set. I was very happy to be wrong, a rare event for me.
EDIT: To be clear, I meant that it's a rare event for me to be happy that I'm wrong not that the rare event is that I'm wrong. Being wrong, unfortunately, is getting to be increasingly less of a rare event for me
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This Chapter covers the period between January 1896 and 1900. More time is spent in this chapter on his personal life."
Being wrong, unfortunately, is getting to be increasingly less of a rare event for me
I totally relate to that sentiment Brian!! The older I get, the more I forget. What a lovely story about your copy of The Well-Beloved. So thoughtful of your wife to track down a first edition Hardy novel for you. I don't think you mentioned, did you like the novel? How does it compare to other Hardy novels? The way Tomalin describes it, the book seems more philosophy than ficiton.
I have to say, I'm very much enjoying our little "buddy read" here. I hope others read our posts and find them useful as well. I, for one, always enjoy your insights. I liked this one of yours "Tom feeling slights easily , so does Emma, who seems to attract them. " I had been so busy counting up Tom's slights, that I failed to notice Emma was having the same behavior. I often think people are drawn to each other because they recognize similar behavior (whether positive or negative) and it creates an attraction.
I had a great laugh at this comment of yours!!
"Emma could have stood to celebrate the December 23rd feast of Festivus which has its primary ritual of “the airing of the grievances.”
"We already know they aren’t to befriends but they seem to get referenced together fairly often"
.I too have noticed all the mentions of Henry James, and like you, have not associated these authors together. I don't know much about Henry James, but I'm assuming Hardy and James are contemporaries, like Thackery and Dickens. Is that right?
I did like your thoughts about Ibsen. How he and Hardy are connected in that they liked to scandalize audiences. That's briliant!
"I really have to get over my aversion to poetry. Hardy’s poems are very accessible compared to most. "
Poetry and fiction are so different. And Hardy wrote over one thousand poems (I think, don't quote me on that ;-). But if you do want to dip a toe in the pool of Hardy poetry, I highly recommend the two poems from this chapter "Drummer Hodge" and "The Darkling Thrush". The Hodge poem is very accessible, whereas Darkling Thrush is beautiful, but a little harder to completely understand.
I'm starting Chapter 19 tonight. Will hopefully post about it tomorrow. I've been distracted by another book I'm afraid. It got so good I couldn't put it down!! I'm sure you know how that goes :-)
Bridget wrote: "I don't think you mentioned, did you like the novel? [The Well-Beloved] How does it compare to other Hardy novels? The way Tomalin describes it, the book seems more philosophy than fiction. "It is the only one of Hardy's 14 novels I rated as 3 stars. All the others I rated at 4 stars, even the not-so-great ones like A Laodicean: A Story of To-Day which I rated as 3.7 stars and rounded up because it has Hardy's great writing. I rated The Well-Beloved as 3 stars because, as I said in my comment " I thought the story was ... a bit creepy actually."
The main character searches for the "ideal woman" and in this "pursuit of the well-beloved" first romances a girl, then her daughter and then her granddaughter, respectively, as he ages from 20 to 40 to 60.
Don't hurry to the next chapter on my account Bridget, I'll get to the next chapter when I can.
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I think this must be The Dynasts Brian, which is usually considered Thomas Hardy's only play. I've never read it, feeling not a little daunted - this bit from wiki may indicate why:
"Because of the ambition and scale of the work, Hardy acknowledged in his Preface to the work that The Dynasts was "intended simply for mental performance, and not for the stage", and described the work as "the longest English drama in existence". 😱
Here's the whole article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dyn...
"there was talk about Tom getting “involved” in the dramatization of Tess. I do know that Tom was “involved in dramatizations of his works, but I don’t know to what extent. "
Yes indeed, it was very much his thing, and he cast Tess choosing the daughter of the woman whom he based Tess on, in his younger years. There are information posts on this at the beginning of 2 (I think) of our group read threads of Tess of the D’Urbervilles, with photos of the original stage production, and a description of his wife's overruling of his taking it to the London stage.
Thanks for the comment and info Jean. I'll look at the Tess threads when I have some time.
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I'm really enjoying all your comments here Brian, thank you.
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Ah, yes, I see now you did call "The Well Beloved" creepy. Sorry I missed that before. I think I was caught up in your story of the first edition acquisition, and I completely forgot!! Thanks for giving me more details about the book. "Creepy" is indeed a good adjective!!
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photograph by Clive Holland 1900s
**This photograph was the closest I could find to Hardy looking like a cat, bird, eagle and sphinx. I find it more sphinx like than the other three, but if you look close there is perhaps a bit of all four.**
With this chapter, I feel us leaping head on into the 20th century. Queen Victoria dies in 1901 and in 1902 Hardy negotiates himself a profitable deal with Macmillan. They had rejected him in 1868 and now they have the British publishing rights to his works. They set out publishing all his novels, both singly and in volumes like “The Wessex Novels”. I wonder if that agreement helped keep Hardy’s novels accessible to future generations. Are we the happy recipients of benefits established by that agreement.
We are now getting information about the publishing of his poetry. The first edition of poetry appeared in 1898 Wessex Poems and Other Verses. The second publication came soon after in 1902 Poems of the Past and the Present. In both collections, poems were included that had been written long ago (1860s) along with recent poems. I very much like how Tomalin describes these collections as unorganized, and with very little by way of instruction as to the poem’s motivation for the reader. She also notes that, with hindsight, we can see the blooming of the poetic genius from Hardy. Since Hardy wrote so many poems (over 1,000) I find this biography a handy way to track which poems are printed in which volume.
After reading this chapter, I am tempted to try and find a copy of “Poems of the Past and Present” as it contains some of my favorite Hardy poems. Right now, I read Hardy’s poems in an unsorted collection of the entirety of his poetic work. Having specific volumes as originally printed would be a dear thing to own indeed.
I also enjoyed Tomalin giving us a view of Hardy through comments made by some famous visitors. H.G. Wells comment about Hardy being ”nothing more than a little grey man” sticks in my memory. As does Arthur Benson’s description of a conversation he had with Hardy and Henry James (who just keeps showing up in this biography!).
Of course, this chapter also chronicles the decline of the Hardy marriage, which by 1908 was, mostly complete.
”As his fame brought him rewards, the life of the Hardys as a couple lost its momentum, shrank and decayed”.
I felt sorry for Emma that Tom did not accept the offer of knighthood. I can imagine how elated Emma would have been to be called “Lady Hardy”. We don’t know why Tom didn’t accept the offer. Tomalin hints that perhaps it had something to do with the icy Hardy marriage. But Tom could have had any number of reasons.
The final section of the chapter talks about Hardy writing The Dynasts. It was completed in 1908, and it appears to have occupied Hardy’s thinking for almost a decade. I’ve not read any of it, and I’m not likely to anytime soon. But I am very glad Tomalin gave us a detailed description of it. What an ambitious work for Hardy to undertake. I found it interesting that the reviews of it, while not glowing, were respectful of the achievement. That shows how well-established Hardy was as a writer. I think some critics were nervous of writing a scathing review of such an eminent man. That is very telling of his stature.
Chapter 19: Cat, Bird, Eagle, Sphinx CommentsThis Chapter covers the period between 1901 and 1905, appropriately beginning the chapter with the death of Queen Victoria.
1. TOM THE MAN
a. Elder Status
The most significant development described in this chapter is in Tom’s personality during this period after his ‘retirement’ from being a novelist of controversial novels and he has attained a curtained status in literary circles which Tomalin describes as “a grand old man of English letters. From Tomalin’s descriptions, Tom seems to be less touchy and sensitive, which sometimes comes with age. She references that “most of those who came to see him spoke of his gentleness and sensitivity.”
b. Poet
Tom’s more content status seems to be reflected in his work, which I describe later. But, continuing the theme, until he started steady work on The Dynasts in 1902, Tom appeared to approach his poetry writing in a more laid-back manner.
2. TOM & FELLOW LITERARY GIANTS
a. H.G. Wells
I thought it funny that while others spoke of Tom’s gentleness and sensitivity, fellow literary giant the 5’5” Mr. Wells could only think of Tom, the man he regarded as bravely writing Tess & Jude, as “a little grey man.”
b. Henry James
Tomalin presents the account of Arthur Benson acting as the go-between for a Hardy and James discussion at a Cambridge literary gathering that presents the two, though conversing with the same person, failing to make any kind of connection with each other. Such an odd twosome of literary giants that Tomalin continues to focus on despite them not really being connected, which I guess is that sub-story’s theme – that there were opportunities for James and Hardy to connect and talk shop yet they didn’t.
c. Max Beerbohm
The literary humorist was mentioned earlier in the book, I believe saying something positive about Tom. I’m glad he tried to give the Dynasts a fair chance, ultimately deciding that, while it should have been in prose, “in the end he was won over.”
3. TOM & EMMA
a. The Couple
Tomalin portrays this time of their relationship as going irreversibly downhill. No more trips where they get along for a short period. It seems to be more Emma’s fault. Tom may have mellowed some but doesn’t want to bother with the maintenance needed for her. While he is also responsible for their alienated status, at this point on the relationship, I don’t blame him for his disinclination to making any effort.
b. Emma
I attribute the permanent disengagement more to Emma because she seems to be getting even more entrenched into her unlikeable quirks.
- She continues to refuse to let Tom’s family come over and doesn’t even attend her mother-in-law’s funeral.
- Emma dismissed Tom’s family as peasants while making snobbish claims for her own family
- Emma would be blatantly hostile to Tom on front of people
- Kate and Mary Hardy think she was “mad”
- But Tomalin thinks Emma was just eccentric to the point of absurdity that her becoming “more eccentric in conversation and style” was partly due to a stroke.
c. Positives
Emma does get active in the suffragette movement and is cogent enough to publish her best collection of poetry, “Some Recollections.” Tomalin has nothing good to say about her judgment is writing her previous poetry.
4. TOM AS POET
a. Beginning
Technically, Tom has always been a poet, so his switch to solely being a poet and not a novelist enabled him to accumulate some of his previously written poem and combine them with newly written poems. As I will note after this, that may not have been advantageous.
b. Tom the “Practical Publisher”
Early in the chapter Tomalin notes that after, his retirement as a novelist, Tom “remained practical about…selling his work.” I thought that was likely accurate and pleased me that Tom might have some business and practical sense. But then towards the end of the chapter, Tomalin describes the publication of Tom’s first poetry collection in 1898 was a jumbled collection with old poems randomly combined with newer poems with odd illustrations by Tom himself. Tomalin criticizes the organization of all of Tom’s poetry collections as being “presented in the same jumbled way” While the publisher likely had final control over the compilation, Tom as the author of the collection would likely have had great input into the impractical organization of the compilation. I felt this impractical approach continued into the writing and publication of his most extensive work, the free verse not-written-for-the-stage drama The Dynasts
c. The Dynasts
I was quite interested in this section of the chapter as, until Bionic Jean referred to it as a drama in the last chapter’s discussion, I had always considered The Dynasts as a long, long poem. I did not realize it was intended as a “free verse not-written-for-the-stage drama” beforehand. My first reaction was “a poem that’s a play?” completely forgetting about Greek tragedies, Shakespeare, Moliere and that I had read and enjoyed Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt” a late 19th Century free verse play and realized that most pre-19th century drama was in verse. Tom was just doing verse play at a point in time when it had become passe.
The discussion almost made me want to tackle reading “The Dynasts.” But Tomalin’s description of it as 525 pages in “small type” that “plods along, worthy and banal” “occasionally…becomes ludicrous” and “has neither spring nor strength” along with her depiction of the characters as “etiolated voices speaking without urgency and beauty” makes me decide to fall back on the word “almost.”
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How funny that you're on to the part about The Dynasts ... and have ended up chickening out again, just as I did! Mind you, I had forgotten that Claire Tomalin was so damning. 🤔
Bridget - what a perfect photo you have found, with an expression that exactly captures a cat, an eagle, and a Sphinx.
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Thanks for reminding me that Max Beerbohm was mentioned earlier in the book. I thought the name sounded familiar but couldn't remember why. I've not heard of him before now, so his appearance in Hardy's life didn't stick in my memory.
Emma - I attribute the permanent disengagement more to Emma because she seems to be getting even more entrenched into her unlikeable quirks.
She really is a quirky bird, isn't she!! I think there can be no argument about that. Tomalin does a nice job of providing multiple sources of authenticating Emma's oddness. (There is a diary entry by Arthur Benson in the next chapter that's quite good). I'm glad you noted that Tom also bears responsibility for the relationship decline. His close relationships with other, younger women would be hard for any wife.
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Unfortunately, I have work projects due by December 31 and family that are limiting my reading time so I won't be able to get back to the Hardy biography until January 3rd or 4th or 5th.
Please go on and read Chapter 12 and I'll just read and comment on both of Chapters when I return to active duty.
Thanks.
I don't think I have the Goodreads notification thing right anymore because I seem to get way fewer than before. But when I tried to change my settings to get more I end up getting inundated with more notifications than I could deal with. I need to find the happy medium. I do have a check on the "Notify me when people comment" box on this thread.