Definition

Proper noun * Thomas Hardy: An English novelist and poet, born in 1840 and died in 1928. He is renowned for his works set in the fictional region of Wessex, which depict characters struggling against social constraints and indifferent natural forces.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Thomas Hardy is considered one of the great Victorian novelists.
  • We are studying the poetry of Thomas Hardy this semester.
  • The novels of Thomas Hardy often explore themes of fate and disillusionment.

Advanced Usage

• Hardy's Wessex: Refers to the semi-fictionalized southwestern region of England that serves as the setting for most of Hardy's major novels.
  • The landscape of Hardy's Wessex is almost a character in itself.
• A Hardyesque tragedy: Describes a situation or narrative that evokes the bleak, fatalistic atmosphere characteristic of Hardy's works.
  • The film's ending had a distinctly Hardyesque tragedy to it.

Variants and Related Words

• Hardyan (adj): Pertaining to or characteristic of Thomas Hardy or his works.
  • The critic discussed the Hardyan perspective on rural life.

Synonyms

• The Author of Wessex: A descriptive synonym referencing his most famous literary creation.
• The Novelist: When context clearly refers to 19th-century English literature.

Related Phrases and Contexts

• "Far from the Madding Crowd": The title of one of Hardy's most famous novels (1874).
• "Tess of the d'Urbervilles": The title of a major tragic novel by Hardy (1891).
• "Jude the Obscure": The title of Hardy's controversial final novel (1895).

Noun

1. English novelist and poet (1840-1928)