The poetic novels of Thomas Hardy and George Meredith

Abstract

Criticism of the novels of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) and George Meredith (1828-1909) has often concerned itself with the philosophy of, and biographical elements behind, the works. Because of this, Hardy's novels have often been considered largely as examples or inconsistently rendered theses on fatalism set in a rural framework, whilst those of Meredith as pretentious, obscure drawing-room comedies of love. Yet few critics refrain from acknowledging a qualified, largely undefined, greatness in these novels. Very little close textual analysis of these novels has yet been undertaken, and in this thesis four novels by each of these writers is to be subjected to a close textual analysis. The aim of this examination is to demonstrate that the use of language in these works is closer to that of poetry than that of conventional novels. Not only is meaning conveyed by a poetic use of language but the novels are structured poetically and a poetic vision informs them, so that the ultimate aim of this thesis is to prove that the novels of Thomas Hardy and George Meredith are essentially poetic. Whilst the "poetic" twentieth century novel seems to earn immediate critical acceptance, a general reluctance to acknowledge earlier examples of this form of novel seems to be common. Concentrating on one particular novel by each of these authors I hope to illustrate first its poetic qualities, then show how these are apparent in their other works, and finally I shall very briefly indicate the importance of their contribution to the development of “the poetic novel.”