Monday, May 21, 2018

Thomas Hardy: A Biography Revisited







Today for your listening pleasure are the subtle sounds of a sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord by J.S. Bach.  Many of the commentators have praised this interpretation because the gamba does not overshadow the harpsichord, which allows for a true three-part counterpoint (you can hear all the melody lines clearly).

This is the second biography I've read of Hardy and I have one more on my biography bookcase (yes, I have devoted an entire book case to biographies and it doesn't even include my shelf of composer biographies.  That's in another room.).  One wonders how many biographies one needs to read of a writer who is not even a favorite.  The problem is I can never stop at one, because I like to get different perspectives, hoping that it will give me a more accurate picture of the subject.  Does anyone feel the same way?


Thomas Hardy: A Biography RevisitedThomas Hardy: A Biography Revisited by Michael Millgate

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was good to follow Robert Gittings' biography. I will say that Gittings' style was more colorful and he delved more into Hardy's personal life from every angle, which made it a more interesting read.

Millgate's biography focuses mostly on a chronology of Hardy's work and the details involved in getting each book published.

He touches upon Hardy's obsession with his "fantasy woman" whom he wrote into every one of his novels and barely nods at how that impacted his marriages and how it influenced the over all message in most of his stories. But he was much softer on Hardy than Gittings.

However, both discuss his self-absorption and bouts of deep depression. Lots of people suffer from depression; it's no different from any affliction: epilepsy, diabeties, and if you need to take medication for it, there is no shame in it. Some people, I think, exacerbate their conditions by not taking care of themselves, such as not eating right (diabetics) or taking their medication regularly (epileptics) and also some people are more depressed than they otherwise would be if they were not so selfish. This applies to Hardy.

He may have loved beautiful young women (his second wife was forty years younger than him and it didn't stop him from obsessing over the actresses who played his heroines or writing poetry about them) but I think he may have been toxic to them. Both his wives became chronically ill, probably made worse because he refused to spend any money on them or allow them to get medical help until it was too late.

But he is unique in that he was not only a preeminent Victorian author, but because of his great age, he lived to lead the school of modern expressionism in poetry. He was the inspiration to Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot and the rest of the Bloomsbury Circle. As far as I know he is the only British writer to cross the bridge from the 19th century to 20th century styles. In fact, he helped build the bridge.

In the words of one of his publishers, "He was a great author. He was not a great man."



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10 comments:

Mudpuddle said...

i don't know if it was just our computer, but the viola quite overwhelmed the harpsichord; and it was rather harsh for my taste, but i'm not a great fan of that instrument anyhow... very interesting, your seasoned impression of Hardy... as you know, i've read some of H's novels and liked them mostly, but i wouldn't call him one of my favorite artists... i think i'm a little burned out on the Victorians; after a while, all their novels sort of read the same... or maybe it's may advancing temporal longevity... haha....

Sharon Wilfong said...

I know what you mean. I used to love the Victorians but now I'm more interested in authors from the first half of the twentieth century.

I listened to the music again. It might have been your computer. I do like the harpsichord, but only to a point. It doesn't not have the power of expression the piano has.

RTD said...

I’ve known a lot of readers who were depressed after reading Hardy’s fiction. Hmmm.

Sharon Wilfong said...

I'm not remotely surprised. He was a great believer in fate and he set up his stories to prove his point.

Mudpuddle said...

perceptive point, Sharon...

Ruth @ with freedom and books said...

I'm finding that last quote to be true.

It's conflicting to devote time to read and praise his work, knowing he selfishly tortured his wives. Makes me feel terrible.

And here I am reading Tess.

Brian Joseph said...

I think that your strategy of reading multiple biographies of a person is a good one.

I have really liked the two Hardy novels thaf I have read. When I hear that an artist that I like was actually a lousy person I feel a sense of disappointment. Based on Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far From The Madding Crowd, I can get an inking of Hardy’s obsession with the perfect woman. It is interesting how such strange personally quirks can translate into art.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Mudpuddle, I've noticed a number of authors are guilty of that.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Yet in his books he creates a very different reality. The bad guys are those that believe in monogamy. What is sad is that his second wife agreed with him about "modern morals" and then found herself a victim of them.

Sharon Wilfong said...

HI Brian. Sometimes I wonder if I should even read biographies of authors I admire. I hate finding out that they were less than sterling.

Tess and FFMC are my two favorite novels by Hardy. Especially the second one because it has a happy ending.

Definitely Hardy was forever chasing his ideal woman and putting them in his books.