THOMAS HARDY 1840 - 1928 Timeline

‘Drummer Hodge’ Three six lined verses in the plain and simple ballad rhythm of eight and six make up this epitaph for a soldier, an unknown drummer boy from Dorset, who dies and is buried without ceremony on the south African plain. Hardy stresses the fact that he would not recognise the constilations in the night sky. The reader knows this is an irrelevant because he’s dead, but Hardy’s poem is an attempt to provide Hodge with that relevance which is death has denied him. Here we meet the mentality that treats individual men as cannon fodder, who thinks of a Dorset boy as a straw-sucking ‘Hodge’,who,once he is dead, simply throws him into a rough grave without ceremony. The callous words “just as found” sound as if they are taken from a report, the sort of thing one might write on a package damaged in the post.

‘Drummer Hodge’ By stressing the foreign place where he is buried, using south African words “veldt”, “kopje”, “the broad Karroo” and drawing attention to the foreign “constellations” That will nightly rise over his body Hardy makes us aware of home and language, and providing an identity. He also suggests a universality that links the stars of Wessex with those of south Africa, Northern breast with the southern tree; the cosmic dance dwarfing human conflicts. His homely and avuncular affectionate words, “young Hodge the Drummer” provides us with the relationship with the boy which in death has been denied, and there is a feeling of enactment of the burial service as we know it “and from dust we come, and to dust we shall return” In the last verse, given to the soldier the respect and honour of a proper burial.

Thomas Hardy’s Life Born on June 2nd,1840 Desperate Remedies is published in 1871 Marries Emma Gifford on Sept 17th , 1874 Hardy falls seriously ill in 1880 Hardy takes a tour of Italy in 1887 Hardy’s Father dies on July 20th, 1892 Hardy’s first volume of poems, Wessex poems, is published in 1898

Thomas Hardy Hardy’s Mother dies on April 3rd, 1904 Hardy is presented with the order of Merit in 1910 Emma Hardy suddenly dies on November 27th, 1912 Hardy marries Florence Dugdale on February 10th, 1914 Hardy’s sister Mary dies in 1915 Hardy dies at the age of 87 on January 10th,1928

DEATH OF THE IMPERIAL ARMY THE BOER WAR DEATH OF THE IMPERIAL ARMY

THE BRITISH ARMY Britain had been the commanding country of the world for nearly a century mostly because of its mighty army. In Africa, Britain been fighting ill-equipped and ill-organised natives that could be easily quashed by the new weaponry Britain had at its disposal. Its generals still used Napoleonic tactics of standing and shooting the enemy to bits. By 1899 Britain was at its prestige of power and to them nobody could take it away

The Boers During the 17-18th century the Dutch began to colonise the African continent. In the south they began to farm out a living but the discovery of diamonds and the invasion of Britain in the 19th century, the Boars had to look to war for survival. Shortly after settling the Boars came to their first big test in warfare. The Zulus a native war - like tribe pushed the Boars up to today Botswana called the great trek. Again the discovery of diamonds turned a few heads and this time the British started a long and costly war with the Boars

The Boer war In 1899 the British declare war on the Boars and take up position near the border. In a state of anger the Boars march south and lay siege on the three most important cites in Natal and Cape providence. Only with the use of reinforcements were the British able to lift the sieges. And so began a guerrilla war that greatly disturbed the British generals. With horrendous casualties the British terrorised the countryside to starve the Boars into submission. The end came with the signing of Vereeniging in 1902.

By Conor Moorehead and Bobby Griffin. The Works of Thomas Hardy By Conor Moorehead and Bobby Griffin.

1856-61 Thomas meets a man called Horace Moule, who helps him study Greek and write poetry. 1862-67 Hardy also reads widely in modern poems and writes poetry, but is rejected by publishers. 1867 He begins The Poor Man and the Lady, but the novel was rejected by publishers. 1871 Desperate remedies was published. 1872 Under the Greenwood Tree was published and received well. 1873 A Pair of Blue Eyes is published and Hardy was invited to write a serial for Cornhill magazine. While working in Higher Bockhampton, he begins Far From the Madding Crowd. 1874 Far From the Madding Crowd is published. 1876 The Hand of Ethelberta is published. 1878 Return of the Native is published.

1880 The trumpet major is published. 1881 A Laodicean is published. 1882 Two on a Tower is published. 1886 The Mayor of Casterbridge is published. 1887 The Woodlanders is published. 1888 Hardy’s first collection of short stories Wessex Tales is published. He begins Tess of the d’Ubervilles with the title Too Late Beloved. 1891 Tess of d’Ubervilles was published. The novel was well received but heavily criticised. 1892 Well-Beloved is published serially. 1894 Life’s Little Ironies is published.

1895 Jude the Obscure is published. The novel receives harsh criticism prompting Hardy to give up novel writing. 1897 The well Beloved, which was written prior to Jude is published. 1898 Hardy’s First volume of poetry, Wessex poems, is published. 1901 Poems of the Past and Present is published. 1904 The first part of his epic, The Dynasts is published. 1908 Hardy completes The Dynasts. 1909 Time’s laughingstocks is published.

1880 The trumpet major is published. 1881 A Laodicean is published. 1882 Two on a Tower is published. 1886 The Mayor of Casterbridge is published. 1887 The Woodlanders is published. 1888 Hardy’s first collection of short stories Wessex Tales is published. He begins Tess of the d’Ubervilles with the title Too Late Beloved. 1891 Tess of d’Ubervilles was published. The novel was well received but heavily criticised. 1892 Well-Beloved is published serially. 1894 Life’s Little Ironies is published.

1928 HARDY DIES AFTER LIVING A BORING LIFE THE END