2008-01-10 His First Novel

This is Thomas Hardy's first published novel. Don't think that this is a pastoral novel, because it isn't, it's usually considered to be a sensation novel. Although it has elements of the sensation genre in it it also has aspects of other genres as well, making it hard to fit neatly into one niche. As usual Hardy gives us fully rounded characters that we can feel for and understand. This book is probably more psychological than most of his novels and gives us a nice pot boiler of a story. Some of the actions of the protagonists in this book don't always seem to make sense, but as you read on everything falls into place.

When this book was first published it was critcised and courted controversy, something which Hardy would see time and again throughout his novel wrting years, but as always with Hardy his novels are pure perfection. He breaks through the conventions of nineteenth century novel writing to give us a more realistic story, and although in this book the 'baddies' get their come-uppance and the 'goodies' get a happy ending as was traditional, we get something more. Our baddie in this book isn't treated as someone purely evil but is treated sympathetically, reminding us that not everything is black and white, but usually varying shades of grey.