Thomas Hardy's aesthetics of the novel

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1970

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Thomas Hardy viewed novel writing as an extension of oral tale-telling and wrote more by instinct than by logical rules. His statements concerning fiction are relatively few and they are scattered, but taken together they afford some insight into Hardy's aesthetics of the novel. Much of what he wrote about the novel was a defense of his own novels and aesthetics against the attacks of both critics and readers. Because Hardy viewed the novel as an extension of oral tale-telling, his statement about the novel can be grouped into three main headings: the author, the story, and the telling. Hardy felt that the author (his temperament and personality) necessarily influences the story. Hardy's own personal views, especially his views of humanity, life and the universe, and tragedy, greatly influenced his novels. He had a deep regard for all men, recognizing their common origin, destiny, and passions. He felt that life was necessarily grim and harsh in an indifferent and impersonal universe. He felt that tragedy was the most fitting genre for his own personal views and the views of the Victorian age, which he saw as becoming increasingly melancholy and tragic. [...]

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