Thomas Hardy Biography

Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorset, England, a heavily poor and agricultural community. He originally trained as an architect but quickly transferred over to writing. He was often criticized as an author for being too pessimistic. His youth in the harsh landscape around Dorset influenced the fatalistic and bleak outlook on the human condition found in Return of the Native. His writing and poetry illustrates a new rugged style of prose which can be attributed to his native heath. This landscape has remarkable similarities to the setting in Return of the Native.

Region of Dorset

He was greatly influenced by the Romantic movement, which was heavily based on the natural world. The region in which he grew up was incredibly tied to the land due to the impoverished agricultural society that existed. Hardy explores such lifestyles in his novels and attempts to portray a realistic view of the community. The nearby location of Stonehenge may have attributed to his focus on paganism. All of these various influences during his lifetime led to his naturalistic and bleak viewpoint that is expressed throughout his career as a writer.

Lauren Gilbert and Paige Spragens