As of yet I haven't read any Thomas Hardy novels but I've seen Jude (Ecclestone + Winslet) and it depressed the hell out of me. I still feel down thinking about it. I assume it's a downer from Hardy's rep but without giving too much away, is this as depressing as Jude the Obscure?
shareIt's well-known that Hardy's outlook on life (at least as expressed in his novels) became ever bleaker as he got older, and pretty much reached its apex (or nadir, depending on how you choose to view it) in "Jude."
I suggest reading at least the major works in the Hardy canon more or less in the order they were written, that is, something like
Far From the Madding Crowd (1874)
Return of the Native (1878)
Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891)
Jude the Obscure (1895)
Obviously you can't un-read "Jude", but hopefully reading the earlier novels will give you a more balanced view. Like "Jude", "Tess" is one of his late novels (in fact the penultimate one - he published none of his lesser novels between the two) and is pretty bleak in many ways, but at least it leaves the reader feeling somewhat hopeful at the end.
Hardy's biography on Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardy ) is also a useful read - I'd forgotten that, like Jude, Hardy's father was himself a stonemason.
Cheers,
-E
Wow, thanks for the quick reply. Great service here! I haven't read any of the books but I'll try to get round to it. Thanks a lot!
shareI saw the film yesterday - usually you can`t go wrong with classic English literature - but "Tess" was more depressing than I could stomach. It was well-acted and beautifully shot, no doubt, but the story is so incredibly sad.
I wish she had just married Angel and then lived happily everafter together, end of story.
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What, Tess of the D'urbervilles had a somewhat hopeful ending? That was hopeful? I wanted to kill myself after finishing the book lol
shareI love period dramas and I do like those that deal with grittier subject matter and look at the lives of the poorer people of that time, but boy is this depressing. I really wanted to read some of Thomas Hardy's works but after watching this and reading some book reviews for the The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude the Obscure, I don't think I'm that enthusiastic about it any more.
"I saw something nasty in the woodshed!"
"Sure you did, but did it see you, baby?"
Under the Greenwood Tree was lighthearted and fun. Hardly recognize it as a Hardy work.
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Well, there's always Jane Austen...or whom-ever the male equivalent is...stories end all neat and happy fairy tale existence in tact.
I do love the classics, not that I'm an expert or have read them all, but I find the one's with a more dark or even more gritty tone more appealing...Just my personal preference.
I just read about Austenland coming out this year. I'm looking forward to it because it looks like a fun flick. I then stumbled on the whole Austen vs. Bronte sisters rivalry. Just goes to show people like to make a rivalry over everything.
In saying this, I can understand why people would take issue with Hardy. I didn't read Hardy's novels but have read his short stories and have watched the film versions of his novels. Jude the Obscure just floored me which doesn't happen very often. I just keep going back to it and his other works as well as the Bronte's. I like that a work of fiction can just knock the wind out of me. These are the types of fiction that tend to stay with me longer. I don't get scared away by that whole thing about oh it's so depressing what a dull read. If it's good creatively, and says something, it's good.
Kiss my grits!
"Tess" was the most depressing thing I have ever watched. But it was beautiful. Beautifully tragic, and totally worth watching :)
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