Thomas Hardy: Selected Writings (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780198723370)

This volume in the 21st Century Oxford Authors series offers students an authoritative, comprehensive selection of the work of Thomas Hardy--the first for nearly thirty years. The edition presents the poetry in a new way by giving the texts of Hardy's original volumes, as they first appeared, instead of the revised text he later produced for his Collected Poems. It reveals the range and variety of his output--qualities he later tended to disguise. His most famous sequence, the 'Poems of 1912-13' appears in a radically different form.

Selections from his epic drama, The Dynasts, are given within the chronological sequence of his poetry, illustrating the power of this neglected work. Notebook and journal entries, where Hardy puts forward his understanding of poetry and the role of the poet, are also included.

Uniquely generous in the number of poems it contains, this edition also provides extensive annotation, locating Hardy's work in its cultural context and reading it in the light of the critical reception. The notes direct attention towards Hardy's regional heritage, and they show his response to the issues and debates of his day--to discussions surrounding war, patriotism, the treatment of animals, marriage, and religion, among others. The annotation locates, in addition, how Hardy's work has continued to speak to present-day readers, by addressing present-day concerns--in particular, gender, including the gender(s) of the poetic voice, the global and (or versus) the local, and, thirdly, humanity's place within the natural world.

The edition also includes an Introduction to the life and works of Hardy, and a Chronology.

Author: Ralph Pite
ISBN-10: 0198723377
ISBN-13: 9780198723370
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 01/05/2022
Pages: 602
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.92lbs
Size: 8.77h x 5.85w x 1.48d