1. Thomas Hardy

2. Early Life Born in Higher Bockhamptom, England in 1840
Father was a stonemason and fiddler
His mother enjoyed reading to him
At 16 he became an apprentice to a local architect
Moved to London and worked as an architect for 5 years
Married Emma Gifford in 1874.

3. Hardy as an Author Started as a Novelist
He destroyed his first novel, The Poor Man and The Lady
He first published anonymously
First Novel-Desperate Remedies
After the novel, Jude the Obscure, received a lot of criticism Hardy switched to poetry

4. Life Imitates Art
Hardy didn’t believe in a benevolent God, and believed in Darwinism
Historical and war interests influenced works such as The Dynasts.
After the death of his first wife, Hardy wrote the Great Poems of 1912 and 1913.

5. Jude the Obscure Written in 1895
Highly criticized for sexual and anti-religion themes
Tells a story about a man, Jude, who falls in love with his cousin and has children out of wedlock.
A child from a previous marriage kills the other children and himself.
Story that challenges Christianity.

6. Without Ceremony Part of the Great Poems of 1912-13.
Tells a story about the last time Emma entertained.
Reader can tell their relationship has fallen apart.
Hardy mourns not being able to say good bye.

7. Achievements In 1910 was awarded the Order of Merit.
Max Gate became popular tourist attraction
Ashes are buried in Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey

8. Fun Fact
The term “cliff-hanger” comes from Hardy’s A Pair of Blue Eyes in which the main character Henry Knight is left staring off the edge of a cliff.

9. Works Cited
"Thomas Hardy." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 21 Jan <
"Thomas Hardy." Poem Hunter. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan <
"Thomas Hardy." : The Poetry Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan <