The Representation of Nature and Man in Thomas Hardy’s Selected Works

Abstract

This research aims to discover the thematic relationship between land, writing, man, and nature in the selected literary works of Thomas Hardy. Hardy’s treatment of nature reveals the foundations of thinking that have contributed to our contemporary environmental crisis. Hardy shares an affinity for philosophically reconstructing culture by presenting the true value of literary art and nature in the heart of natural elements and images. As a reaction against a mechanized and materialized society that politically values technological advancements and expositions, self-consciously Hardy portrays the naked truth of nature and land and the place of man. Hardy has distinctively portrayed nature, having his own unique style and perspective in his writing. Analyzing Hardy’s work helps to learn about the Victorian social and ecological criticism of the man-environment linkage that could be biologically and psychologically intriguing and strange when it comes to the question of placing man in the world. The research will show how someone like Hardy portrayed his nature consciousness through a mere portrayal of any harmony or disharmony of a man with his environment. Hardy encourages the notion that setting is an essential and central element in human life that consciously or unconsciously has a direct impact on their life. Discussing different characters and their different qualities and the roles the characters are given in relation to the natural world surrounding them is immensely important to understand the man-environment linkage. Not only in his novels but also in his poetry Hardy portrays the representation of man’s true place in nature and the significance of such representation in human life.