D. H. Lawrence's Study of Thomas Hardy

Abstract

<p>In pursuing his unique style of literary criticism, Lawrence sets himself the literary task to "save the tale from the artist who created it". In his provocative Study of Thomas Hardy, Lawrence occasionally moves beyond simple interpretation to a virtual rewriting of Hardy's novels. With his exclusively personal and interior focus, Lawrence's critical method involves the retelling of Hardy's narratives as though he had written them, isolating only what interests him. The Study's critical judgements are stamped always with Lawrence's own dynamic and dramatic personality. Yet the energetic application of his firmly-held convictions to Hardy's novels yields illuminating insights into certain fundamental aspects of Hardy's work that can be matched perhaps nowhere else in criticism.</p> <p>This study provides a critical examination and assessment of Lawrence's critical method, particularly as he applied it to Hardy's Return of the Native, Tess and Jude. Some attempt is made to indicate what other predominant critical interpretations applied to the Hardy canon involve, and to provide some context from which to assess Lawrence's critical contribution. The epilogue briefly comments on what purpose the Study served in clarifying Lawrence's thoughts on his own writing as a novelist.</p>