Publisher's Synopsis
A prolific novelist, poet and correspondent, Thomas Hardy bridged the gap between the late-Victorian and the early modern age. He is best known for his novels of tragic intensity, such as "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", "Jude the Obscure", "The Mayor of Casterbridge", "Far From the Madding Crowd" and "The Return of the Native". This A to Z reference combines biographical details and critical analyses of his works into one volume. More than 700 cross-referenced entries include: synopses of Hardy's fiction, poetry and non-fiction, with details on background and critical reception; descriptions of characters in Hardy's fiction, from Bathsheba Everdene to Diggory Venn; details about Hardy's family, friends, colleagues, publishers and critics; real and fictional places important to Hardy's life and literary development, including Dorset, London, Casterbridge and the "Wessex" region; and important elements and influences in his life, including architecture, the natural world and mythology.;The appendices list information about media adaptations and translations of Hardy's works, and provide a chronology of his writings, family trees and a glossary of place names in Hardy's fiction.
