The Language of Thomas Hardy - A Scholarly Analysis of Hardy’s Life, Work, and Use of Language

Sep 20, 2026

Raymond Chapman’s The Language of Thomas Hardy presents a scholarly examination of how Hardy’s life, historical context, and reading experience shape his writing style. The work details Hardy’s background and Victorian world while tracing linguistic concerns across sections such as the literary background, language of reading, language of experience, and the patterns of words, syntax, and structure. It also addresses dialect, forms of speech, language of hearing, and the relationship between style and text through organized notes and references.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages186

Reading Time4 h 46 min

AccessFree to download

Note on Texts

1 Thomas Hardy: Life and Work

2 The Language of Thomas Hardy

Contents Overview

The Literary Background

Hardy and the English Language

Language of Reading

Language of Experience

The Pattern of Words

Syntax and Structure

Dialect

Forms of Speech

Language of Hearing

Style and Text

THELANGUAGE0F THOMAS HARDY 一 RAYMOND CHAPMAN THE LANGUAGE OFTHOMAS HARDY Raymond Chapman Macmillan Education THE LANGUAGE OF LITERATURE General Editor:N.F.Blake Published titles The Language of Shakespeare N.F.BlakeThe Language of Chaucer David Burnley The Language of Wordsworth and Coleridge Frances AustinThe Language of Irish Literature Loreto ToddThe Language of D.H.Lawrence Allan IngramThe Language of Thomas Hardy Raymond Chapman Further titles are in preparation. THE LANGUAGE OF LITERATUREGeneral Editor:N.F.Blake ISBN 978-0-333-47161-6 ISBN 978-1-349-20566-0(eBook)DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-20566-0Raymond Chapman 1990 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990978-0-333-47160-9 All rights reserved.For information,write:Scholarly and Reference Division,St.Martin's Press,Inc.,175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010 First published in the United States of America in 1990 ISBN 978-0-312-03665-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataChapman,Raymond. The language of Thomas Hardy /Raymond Chapman. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 978-0-312-03665-2 1.Hardy,Thomas,1840-1928—Language.I.Title.PR4758.C4 1990823'.8—dc20 89-10622 CIP Contents Note on Textsvi1 Thomas Hardy:Life and Work12 The Literary Background183 Hardy and the English Language344 Language of Reading435 Language of Experience596 The Pattern of Words767 Syntax and Structure948 Dialect1129 Forms of Speech12510 Language of Hearing14111 Style and Text157Notes169Select Bibliography172Index175 # Note on Texts Hardy revised his work a great deal,particularly between theperiodical and volume publication of some of the novels.Unlessa variant is specifically noted,all quotations from his novels aretaken from the New Wessex paperback edition,published byMacmillan,London(1974,reissued 1985).The following abbre-viations are used for references in parentheses after quotations,followed by the page number. ALA Laodicean 1881DRDesperate Remedies 1871FFMFar from the Madding Crowd 1874HEThe Hand of Ethelberta 1876JOJude the Obscure 1896MCThe Mayor of Casterbridge 1886PBEA Pair of Blue Eyes 1873RNThe Return of the Native 1878TDTess of the D'Urbervilles 1891TMThe Trumpet Major 1880TTTwo on a Tower 1882UGUnder the Greenwood Tree 1872WThe Woodlanders 1887WBThe Well-Beloved 1897DThe Dynasts 1904-8 followed by part,act and scene. Poems are cited as P,followed by page number in ThomasHardy:the Complete Poems,edited by James Gibson(Macmillan,London,1976,reprinted 1983). Other sources frequently quoted are: CLThe Collected Letters of Thomas Hardy,edited byR.L.Purdy and M.Millgate(Clarendon Press,Oxford,7 volumes,1982-8).PWThomas Hardy's Personal Writings,edited by HaroldOrel(Macmillan,London,1967). ELThe Early Life of Thomas Hardy 1840-1891 by FlorenceEmily Hardy(Macmillan,London,1928). LYThe Later Years of Thomas Hardy 1892-1928 byFlorence Emily Hardy(Macmillan,London,1930). # 1 Thomas Hardy:Lifeand Work If Thomas Hardy could have chosen the period of history duringwhich to live his long life,he could hardly have found one whichwould see greater changes in every aspect of British society.Hewas born three years after Victoria became Queen and died tenyears after the end of the Great War.Melbourne was PrimeMinister when he was born,Baldwin when he died.He wasborn when Dickens was beginning to make a name with his earlynovels and before the Bronte sisters,George Eliot or Trollopehad published.When he died the leading writers in English wereVirginia Woolf,T.S.Eliot,E.M.Forster and James Joyce.Shawand Wilde,who brought the English theatre back to a degree ofliterary and intellectual quality,were born when he was in hisadolescence.He was born when few men,and no women,had aparliamentary vote;he died in the year in which women eventuallygot the vote on fullequality with men.He saw the railways spreadall over the British Isles,followed by the motor car and then theaeroplane.He lived through the intellectua

FAQs

What scope does the book cover about Thomas Hardy’s language?

It examines Hardy’s language across major dimensions including the literary background, reading and experience, word patterns, syntax and structure, dialect, forms of speech, language of hearing, and style in text.

How does the book handle textual quotations from Hardy’s novels?

It states that, unless a variant is specifically noted, quotations are taken from the New Wessex paperback edition published by Macmillan, London, with later reissues.

What kinds of references does the book use in relation to Hardy’s works?

It uses abbreviations for Hardy novels and refers to page numbers, along with citation sources such as collected letters and Hardy’s personal writings for other frequently quoted material.

Sep 20, 2026

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