There has long been a tendency to regard Thomas Hardy as a great tragic writer and to ignore or underestimate the value of his comic works. This derives no doubt partly from the fact that comedy as an art form has been consistently undervalued ever since Aristotle dealt with it so slightly and so slightingly. It also stems from the evident inability of some readers and critics to allow an artist a wide scope and multiple voices. Thomas Hardy and the Comic Muse discusses the nature of comedy and the various theories that purport to explain or define it, and examines Hardy’s works — novels, short stories, and poetry — in terms of the categories of farce, humour, satire, and wit. It looks at where and why Hardy made use of these forms of comedy, what his historical sources were, and why this side of his work has been so frequently neglected. It also looks at what insights might be offered by Hardy — both directly and indirectly — to answer the difficult but always tantalizing question: what is comedy? The two subjects, Hardy and Comedy, are counterpointed throughout so that they prove to be mutually illuminating.

Thomas Hardy penned nearly fifty short stories, but in spite of this impressive number, his contributions to the genre have been relatively understudied. Bringing together an international group of scholars, this is the first edited collection devoted solely to Hardy's works of short fiction. The contributors take up topics related to their publication in periodicals, gender and community relationships, and narrative techniques. Taken together, the essays show that Hardy's short stories are important, not only for what they tell us about Hardy as a writer who straddles the divide between the traditionalist and the modernist, but also for how they reflect and inform the period in which he wrote.

Thomas Hardy enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a novelist before devoting his talents to writing poetry for the remainder of his life. This book focuses on Hardy's remarkable achievements as a novelist. Although Victorian readers considered some of his works controversial, his novels remained highly regarded. His novels still appear in the syllabi of courses in Victorian literature and the British novel, as well as courses in feminist/gender studies, environmental studies, and other topics. For scholars, students, and the general reader, this companion helps to makes Hardy's novels accessible by providing a detailed biography of Hardy, plot summaries of each novel, and analyses of the critical contexts surrounding them. Entries focus on the people, cultural forces, literary forms, and movements that influenced Hardy's novels. The companion also suggests approaches for original interpretations and suggestions for further study.

The 71st in the annual series of volumes devoted to Shakespeare study and production. The articles, like those of volume 70, are drawn from the World Shakespeare Congress, held 400 years after Shakespeare's death, in July/August 2016 in Stratford-upon-Avon and London. The theme is 'Re-Creating Shakespeare'.

DigiCat presents to you this meticulously edited collection of historical romance novels, the immortal tales of love, lust, pleasure and betrayal. Content: The Lady of the Camellias (Alexandre Dumas) The Portrait of a Lady (Henry James) The Wings of the Dove (Henry James) Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Brontë) Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy) Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) The Miranda Trilogy (Grace Livingston Hill) Fantomina (Eliza Haywood) The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (Eliza Haywood) The Fortunate Foundlings (Eliza Haywood) Powder and Patch (Georgette Heyer) The Black Moth: A Romance of the XVIIIth Century (Georgette Heyer) Belinda (Maria Edgeworth) Patronage (Maria Edgeworth) Dangerous Liaisons (Pierre Choderlos de Laclos) Evelina (Fanny Burney) Cecilia (Fanny Burney) Camilla (Fanny Burney) The Wanderer (Fanny Burney) Mary: A Fiction (Mary Wollstonecraft) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen) Mansfield Park (Jane Austen) Emma (Jane Austen) Persuasion (Jane Austen) Miss Marjoribanks (Mrs. Olifant) Phoebe, Junior (Mrs. Olifant) Vanity Fair (William Makepeace Thackeray) Pamela (Samuel Richardson) Anti-Pamela (Eliza Haywood) Shamela (Henry Fielding)

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this meticulously edited collection of historical novels, the immortal tales of love, lust, pleasure and betrayal._x000D_ Content:_x000D_ The Lady of the Camellias (Alexandre Dumas)_x000D_ The Portrait of a Lady (Henry James)_x000D_ The Wings of the Dove (Henry James) _x000D_ Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)_x000D_ The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)_x000D_ Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)_x000D_ Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)_x000D_ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Brontë)_x000D_ Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy)_x000D_ Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)_x000D_ The Miranda Trilogy (Grace Livingston Hill)_x000D_ Fantomina (Eliza Haywood)_x000D_ The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (Eliza Haywood)_x000D_ The Fortunate Foundlings (Eliza Haywood)_x000D_ Powder and Patch (Georgette Heyer)_x000D_ The Black Moth: A Romance of the XVIIIth Century (Georgette Heyer)_x000D_ Belinda (Maria Edgeworth)_x000D_ Patronage (Maria Edgeworth)_x000D_ Dangerous Liaisons (Pierre Choderlos de Laclos)_x000D_ Evelina (Fanny Burney)_x000D_ Cecilia (Fanny Burney)_x000D_ Camilla (Fanny Burney)_x000D_ The Wanderer (Fanny Burney)_x000D_ Mary: A Fiction (Mary Wollstonecraft)_x000D_ Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)_x000D_ Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)_x000D_ Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)_x000D_ Emma (Jane Austen)_x000D_ Persuasion (Jane Austen)_x000D_ Miss Marjoribanks (Mrs. Olifant)_x000D_ Phoebe, Junior (Mrs. Olifant)_x000D_ Vanity Fair (William Makepeace Thackeray)_x000D_ Pamela (Samuel Richardson)_x000D_ Anti-Pamela (Eliza Haywood)_x000D_ Shamela (Henry Fielding)