Name :- Nargis Ibrahimbhai Saiyad

Roll no: - 13

Class: - M.A. Sem.-IV

Paper: - Thomas Hardy as a novelist

Topic: - Hardy’s art of characterization

-: Submitted to:-

Heenaba Zala,

Dept. of English,

M.K. Bhavnagar University,

Bhavnagar.

                    Hardy’s art of Characterization

                                          Hardy is a very well-known author. His most of the characters are of the poor rural class. Hardy’s characters show glimpse of Victorian people. The characters lives are ruled by rigid Victorian social conventions.

ü Hardy’s style-

                                       We can say, Hardy’s style is roughhewn, sometimes awkward. It is that we always find his style as intense and commanding.

ü Figures of literature-

                                      We find variety in figures. Hardy’s command over human personality is extensive. For the characters, we can say,

                         “a gallery of everlasting delight”

                                       Tess, Eustacia, Bathsheba, Elizabeth-Jane are examples of it.

ü Methods of characterization-

                                       If we read all his characters, we find some common characteristics.

Ø Description set description-

                                      He uses the line like “Drink to me only with thine eyes”. Here, every phrase is salient and arresting. He doesn't give catalogue of Eustacia’s charms.

                                 We cannot call “Items of face and figure” to man or woman if we think according to Hardy’s perspective.

Ø Use of metaphors, comparisons, incidental touches-

                                      “Vivid descriptive phrases, metaphorical illuminations and revealing comparisons, chance utterances of the man himself etc.”              - Duflin                                                                                         

                                      We find a wealth of metaphors in Hardy’s works. For example, “buffalo wrong-headedness”

Ø Humanity-

                                            Hardy’s characters are life-like, real. They feel ordinary joys and sorrows. They are gems, but Hawed gems. The instances of perfection are few.

Ø No unredeemed villains-

                                    Hardy doesn't portray perfect characters. Even in villains, also. For example, Alec in ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’

                                              We find some good characteristics in the villains, too. Hardy cannot fully paint at length odious people.

Ø Universality-

                                            We find Hardy’s characters Universal because they are realistic, life-like. If we say them only realistic then it is not so. They are more Universals. There are other characters that get below individual differences and qualities, classify individuals and thus arrive at type.

Ø Limitations-

                                             Hardy also has some limitations in writing. It reminds one saying,

                              “Every coin has two sides”

                                            We can classify the similarity like this:

Ø Unsuccessful intellectuals-

                                                We find that the intellectuals in Hardy’s works selfish, hard, hearted. For e.g,

          Clare fails Tess at the greatest crisis of her life because of his hard logical aspect.

Ø Failing of upper class people-

                                               Almost all his characters belong to Wessex of other lower class society. If he chooses other, he makes mistake. In reason he says.

“The conduct of the upper class is screened by conventions and thus the real character is not seen.”

Ø Repetition-

                   “Man’s predicament in the Universe.”

                                           We see the idea of philosophy in his works. In each novel, he shows man ranged against cure luck. That’s why they have a family likeness.

Ø No psycho-analysis-

                                              We find simple natured people from Hardy’s works but we do not get complex characters in his writing.

Ø Examples:-

1). ‘Return of the Native’-

                                           The characters Clym and Eustacia are such characters that we recognize human-being, their conversation action, irritation etc… Though some say that Hardy’s great success is with subtle characters but his people are realized when they are very simple foe example,

Rustics                         -        Grandfer and Christian cantle

Sturdy countrymen    -        Diggory Venn

Passionate wayward  -        Eustacia

Plausible rogue           -        Wildeve

          The characterization of male here are praiseworthy.

2). ‘Tess of the D 'Urbervilles-

§  Authorial comment-

                                      The chapter 27 is with full personality of Tess sometimes he stops narration to point out certain facets.

For example,

‘With the woman instinct to hide she diverged hastily…’

§  ‘Tess as a vessel of emotions’-

                                      Tess is very traditional and aunt rational and intelligence so, we can call her a vessel of emotions rather than reasons.

§  Tess’s aristocratic traits-

                                         In ch.21, when comparing Tess to other dairy maid Hardy states Tess is ‘more fifthly formed’. He also talks about the burden of aristocracy. 

§  Tess as a woman in love-

                                       The tension of happiness and unhappiness co-existing is we portrayed. For him the pasts for all love is deeply. He writes ‘the invincible instinct towards self delight’.

                            Tess has also fault like hereditary flaws, passivity in the face of fate, sexual sin etc.

ü Conclusion-

                           In all Hardy’s novels we find something spiritual. As Duflin points out,

                        “Each one of his great novels is a soul’s tragedy, such as we do not get anywhere else outside Shakespeare”.

                        His characterization is not only external lit is also internal. He probes into the hidden depth of the soul and explore mysteries of souls of ordinary people.