Thomas Hardy Seminar


Professor Suzanne J. Flynn

This course will be devoted to the works of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). During his lifetime, Hardy published 14 novels, nearly 50 short stories, a 3-volume epic, and nearly 1000 poems. Obviously, one semester will not suffice to cover the depth and breadth of this incredible career. We will, nonetheless, read a representative sampling of Hardy's works in an effort to understand not only his place within literary history, but also the sociological and cultural contexts of the literature.

Required Texts:

(All texts by Thomas Hardy)

Under the Greenwood Tree, Penguin
Far from the Madding Crowd, Norton
The Return of the Native, Norton
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Norton
Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Norton
The Distracted Preacher and Other Tales, Penguin
Thomas Hardy: Selected Poems, Everyman Classics

Schedule of Readings and Student Reports