#ThomasHardy

[lforlimbo]

You did not come, And marching Time drew on, and wore me numb,— Yet less for loss of your dear presence there Than that I thus found lacking in your make That high compassion which can overbear Reluctance for pure lovingkindness’ sake Grieved I, when, as the hope-hour stroked its sum, You did not come. You love not me, And love alone can lend you loyalty; –I know and knew it. But, unto the store Of human deeds divine in all but name, Was it not worth a little hour or more To add yet this: Once you, a woman, came To soothe a time-torn man; even though it be You love not me?

[sowingseedsandshootinghoops]

Dreams Deferred: The Destructive Effects of Descrimation

Note on the text: I used Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure as published in 1989 by Bantam Books

What happens to a dream differed?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?/Or fester like a sore-/and then run?/Does it stink like rotten meat?/Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags/like a heavy load

Or does it explode? (Langston Hughes, Harlem)

It explodes. It definitely explodes and takes down every vestige of your life with it. Or at least that’s what happens to Jude Fawley, the simple stone mason at the heart of Thomas Hardy’s 1895 novel.

When we first meet Jude he is a smart, kind, and precocious kid who is determined to make a name for himself. Even more specifically he is a working class man who is interested in ancient Latin and Greek who dreams of becoming a scholar. To that end he wants to go to college and get a degree because it “is the necessary hallmark of a man who wants to do anything in teaching” (10).

Now it is immediately obvious that Jude is an extremely hardworking man who is more than willing to put in whatever time and effort he needs to in order to get things done. He knows that in order to even stand a chance of getting into a university and becoming a professor he has to be at least as educated, if not more so, as his upper class counterparts. To that end he finds some books on Ancient Greek and Latin and starts to teach himself, which he is eventually able to master. It is a Herculean task in a lot of ways but eventually he is not able to read and write in those languages, but is able to quote the Bible and all the great Latin and Greek authors in their original language.

Not only is Jude smart but he is also a very kind person who “cannot bear to hurt anything” (17). Time and time again he goes out of his way to help people, even those who, like Arabella, have been really cruel to him. Arabella who calls him a “tender hearted fool” when he is forced to slaughter his beloved pet pig, and later says that there has never been “such a tender fool as Jude [especially if] a woman seems to be in trouble and coaxes him a little” (68, 283). So it’s obvious that Jude is, in every respect, just as worthy as anyone else is of seeing his dreams be fulfilled: “I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea who knoweth not such things as these?” (Job 12:3 as quoted by Jude on page 126).

So when he realizes that his dreams of becoming a scholar and a teaching must be eternally deferred because he is too poor to go to school the result is incredibly harrowing and depressing, and thus begins his gradual descent into his own personal Hell:

This terribly sensible advice exasperated Jude. He knew it was true. Yet it seemed a hard slap after ten years of labor and its effect on him just now was to make him rise recklessly from the table and, instead of reading as usual, [decide to go out and get drunk] (124).

It’s while he’s at the bar, staring at his fellow patrons that he comes upon what in many ways is the central theme of the book:

He began to see that the town life was a book of humanity infinitely more palpitating, varied and compendious than the gown life. These struggling men and women before him were the [real] reality [of the city] of Christminster (125).

It’s at this moment that his life begins the downward trajectory that will result in him dying alone and unhappy. Jude is a shining example of the negative effects that discrimination can have on the marginalized. Because dreams that have been arbitrarily strangled and made to die for reasons outside of a person control do not die quietly. They explode.

[ionbookintros]

Jude The Obscure by Thomas Hardy

[greenjaydeep]

Happiness was but the occasional episode in a general drama of pain. ~ #thomashardy pc: @rudrascape (at Prince of Wales Museum Mumbai) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpgyAI8P9Es/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dingxiangcheng]

Today marks the 95th anniversary of the day of Thomas Hardy's death. Dear friends, do you love his fictions? I am reading his novel Jude the Obscure. #hardy #tess #thomashardy #literature #tessofthedurbervilles #judetheobscure #british #chinese #fiction https://www.instagram.com/p/CnR-YolLpYc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[vintagecinemaart]

Tess-Original Vintage Movie Poster for Roman Polanski's Lyrical Adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel with Peter Firth and Nastassja Kinski. #tess #barrylyndon #thomashardy #romanpolanski #vintagecinemaart #movieposter #wallart https://etsy.me/3jRz08C https://www.instagram.com/p/CnA-Uyfs-43/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bwthornton]

Afterwards by Thomas Hardy #Poetry #Poems #ThomasHardy #Afterwards #poetrycommunity #poetrylovers

[hunterdeuling]

The sudden disappointment of a hope leaves a scar which the ultimate fulfillment of that hope never entirely removes.

#ThomasHardy #FridayQuote

#QuiltBlock - Indiana Puzzle - 1769 in #EncyclopediaofPiecedQuiltPatterns by #BarbaraBrackman

#Patchwork #Piecing #GridPatchwork #GridPiecing #GridPattern #GridQuilting #Quilt #Quilting

[ladylipt]

Moments in the rain ☔

1 - Pride and Prejudice (2005)

2 - Northanger Abbey (2007)

3 - Sense and Sensibility (1995)

4 - Jane Eyre (2006)

5 - Becoming Jane (2007)

6 - Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

Pictures found on: @pinterest

#janeausten #janeaustenfan #janeite #austenite #austenland #charlottebronte #thomashardy #novels #books #perioddramas #perioddrama #prideandprejudice #northangerabbey #senseandsensibility #janeeyre #becomingjane #farfromthemaddingcrowd

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[actongloves]

"It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs." - Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd

[bibliobethblog]

Hello everyone and hope your Monday has got off to a great start. I’m still doing half days at work because my body clearly hates me 😅 but here I am with my Monday book haul! (Some things don’t change! 🤣) You might already know that certain covers do entice me to buy them and Chouette was really screaming my name. It’s a dark modern fable about mothering an unusual child - an owl baby. It will grip you in its talons and never let go. Why do I feel as if this could be me?? 🤣🤣🤣 I’m taking part in the #greatthomashardyreadalong2022 and it’s been one of my favourite things this year. A Pair Of Blue Eyes is one of the Hardy books I haven’t read and tells the tale of Elfride, daughter of a Rector who faces an agonising choice between two men - the boyish architect Stephen Smith and the older literary man, Henry Knight as the two friends become rivals for her affections. Finally Wuhan, a real chunker of a book at 608 pages. Set in 1937, this epic historical fiction is set in China where Wuhan stood alone in a whirlwind of war and violence against the Japanese army. This forced unprecedented culture and political changes that shaped China’s future. I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these books or authors. Let’s have a chat in the comments. Have a great week everyone! 🤗😘 #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #ohnoanotherbooktogetthrough #chouette #claireoshetsky #apairofblueeyes #thomashardy #wuhan #johnfletcher #historicalfictionbooks #classicnovelsnerd #quirkybook #readinganythingandeverything #obsessedwithbooks📚 #newbooksplease https://www.instagram.com/p/ChkjiucrvM9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[blossomfully]

“She’s brim full of poetry - actualised poetry, if I may use the expression. She lives what paper poets only write.”

Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbevilles

[themoderncanadianreader]

Sep. 22

The Darkling Thrush - Thomas Hardy (1990)

The lyrical quality adds flow and innocence to this poem despite the grim content. This contrast shows Hardy's deep trust with faith. The bird in the third stanza, the one that sings through the rubble and its broken surroundings, brings the speaker hope. The bird knows something that the rest of the world does not and offers a glimmer of aspiration for the upcoming century, or does it?

Yes, the bird could be a sign that peace and hope are to come, or it could just simply be a bird. The speaker may be the one looking for a sign and projecting their hope onto this animal. This speaker looks for a reason to be happy among the uncertain times and will find a sign in whatever they want to believe. How do we tell whether this bird symbolizes something, or whether it is just a bird? The ambiguity of this poem is intentional. Hardy wants the reader to come to their own conclusion. Choosing to believe that the bird symbolizes hope means choosing faith.

Faith and religion represent this feeling the speaker has. Finding faith means choosing to look for the positive, blindly believing in the uncertain, and trusting that everything will be okay no matter what.

[lizzielambwriter]

#thomashardy #ruralromance #dvdcollection #recommended (at Whitefield Forest Touring Park. IOW) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQfrVRmq63PSMQ8PipTZD2v2RIpnl4Qg7fYQRw0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[harvard-art-museums-prints]

Samuel Arnold, Thomas Hardy, 18th century, Harvard Art Museums: Prints

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Belinda L. Randall from the collection of John Witt Randall

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/243964

[adamwatchesmovies]

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

If period piece romantic dramas are your thing, you will eat up Far from the Madding Crowd and be eager for more. It also has an audience beyond genre fans. You don't need to be familiar with the source material to enjoy the film - I'll attest to it.

In 1870s Victorian England, independent, beautiful Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) inherits her uncle’s large farm. Now well-to-do and living a life of comfort, she finds herself pursued by three different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a farmer from her days as an ordinary girl; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) a fiery Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), her mature and prosperous neighbor. As she deals with the difficulties and dangers of owning a farm in the 19th-Century, everyone wonders who she will finally choose.

Films set in this era often deal with fragility. The times were difficult and dangerous even if you lived comfortably. Insurance was non-existent. Communication over long distances was spotty. Men and women's roles in society differed greatly from today. People had different views and expectations of medicine, poverty, and life overall. Even with a strong woman at its center, the film always maintains a certain tension. One bad harvest and she could be homeless. One mistake with a man and she could be ostracized forever.

Amid these delicate times, emotional defences are being lowered. We're most vulnerable during that first stage of dating when you’ve been seeing that special someone for just long enough to get attached to them but not so long that where things will go is clearly defined. This movie is all about the risk of disaster: financial, societal, emotional.

Seeing ladies and gentlemen in the clothing of this period is always a treat. While we aren't dealing with huge, elaborate balls, the garments are nice to see precisely for that reason. It's a different view of what things were like back then - a way to time travel without leaving your chair. If costumes aren't your thing Far From the Maddening Crowd still has plenty to offer. Carey Mulligan in a meaty role for instance. All of the performers are given roles that allow them to show off a wide range of emotions, moments of strength, and vulnerability alike. Among the talented cast, she reigns supreme.

My issues with the movie come from the fact that the novel wouldn't have been one that I'd pick up for fun. The romance is enticing. The people involved in it too. It's an old-fashioned story which feels modern because of our heroine who has to prove herself in a world run by men. This aspect engaged me less than the other material at first but once it got going I wanted to see how it would play out. In fact, I wish we'd gotten more of Tom Sturridge, more of this story in general as the conclusion feels rushed. These are minor complaints. Fans of these types of films will absolutely love this adaptation of the 1874 novel. I just have a passing interest (if that) and found it a nice change of pace.

If you have an interest in classic literature or costume dramas, or you like romance stories, it'll be worth your time to track down Far From the Madding Crowd. The ones I'll try to appeal to now are those who wouldn't typically check out something based on a novel by an author who's been dead for 200 years. If you have a girlfriend/significant other whom this might please it'd make for a great date night and you'll find things to like in it as well. Give it a shot. (Theatrical version on DVD, June 10, 2015)