Hardy and the Natural World lecture

Professor Timothy Spurgins lecture focuses on the so called pessimism that characterizes
Thomas Hardys literary work. This feature of Hardys fictional world is discussed in connection
with his view of sexuality and his understanding of nature, as it was influenced by Charles
Darwins theory of evolution. The main example that encompasses these three characteristics is
Thomas Hardys novel Tess of the DUrbervilles, published in 1891.
The first part of the lecture deals with the idea of Hardys pessimism. Thomas Hardys tragic
sensibility sets him apart from the other writers pertaining to the Victorian era and not only.
This trait of Thomas Hardys literary style is particularly used to make a distinction between him
and George Eliot, who was thought to have written many of Hardys novels. Indeed, George
Eliots characters, as those of Hardy, struggle with their problems and with the consequences of
their own mistakes. Moreover, George Eliot also focuses on experiences of disappointment and
failure, but while she only considers the possibility of tragedy, Thomas Hardy fully
embraces it (and this is a key term). This idea is supported by the fact that in his novels, the
main character is destroyed and his destiny bears the sign of profound, often undeserved
sufferance. One of the best example is Thomas Hardys novel The Mayor of
Casterbridge(1866). At the beginning of the novel the main character, Michael Henchard, sells
his wife to a sailor, while being drunk and at the end of it he dies in solitude and poverty,
excluded from society. Despite his mistakes, his sufferance seems too intense and therefore
unjust even for him. It is not only the case of this novel.
The majority of Hardys novels are characterized by what professor Spurgin calls a lack of
poetic justice: virtues are not rewarded and sins are punished beyond reason. Tess of the
DUrbervilles first published in monthly instalments in The Graphic magazine in 1891 truly
exemplifies the idea of Hardys pessimism. The novel ends with the death of the main
character, who is executed for killing her husband. This end was probably most dissatisfying for
the Victorian readers, who were used to shape the development of a novel according to their own
desires. Other novelists like Samuel Richardson with Clarissa, Emily Bront with Wuthering
Heights and George Eliot with Mill on the Floss also challenged what Hans Robert Jauss calls

horizon of expectation, but Hardly is the first English novelist to completely break the limit
and constantly write his novels in a pessimistic manner.
Professor Spurgin tries to explain Thomas Hardys pessimism by connecting it to the authors life
experience, as the child of a stonemason, brought up in a family that wasnt very wealthy. It is
important to know that although his earliest experiences didnt make him truly unhappy, he was
at times prone to disappointment. Noteworthy are the influence of Darwins theory of evolution
at a moment in Hardys life when he started losing his sense of faith and the story of his failed
marriage. There is also an interesting legend about Hardys birth: it is said that at birth he was
thought to be dead and was saved by a midwife. If this is a fact and not a legend, I think that it
could explain Hardys tendency for unreasonable coincidences that ruin the lives of his
characters. In Tess of the dUrbervilles, for example, there is no logical explanation for the fact
that Alecs father has chosen the name of dUrbervilles or for Tesss second encounter with Alec,
at a moment when she is most vulnerable.
The second part of the lecture is concerned with the idea of Thomas Hardys attitude towards the
morality constraints imposed to Victorian novelists and how he challenges these restrictions in
Tess of the dUrbervilles.
At the time when he started writing this novel, his frustration against the limits imposed by
morality started taking a more organized form, thus leading to an essay: Candour in English
Fiction. In his essay, Hardy points out that even the readers have complained about the
insincerity of the English novel, especially when it comes to issues of sexuality. He accurately
identifies the main reasons that cause this problem: the fact that the writers themselves dont feel
free or comfortable to display such themes as sex and sexuality and that libraries and magazines
often refuse to publish materials that do not suit the entire family. Hardy describes these
restraints and their consequences in a manner that makes me consider these as a Victorian,
almost subconscious equivalent of modern censorship: he states that there are only two paths for
the English novelist: either he creates characters uneven to their own personality only to meet the
social approval or lets them act genuinely, but must expect to be ruined as a novelist.
Tess of the dUrbervilles is the ground on which Hardy tests the limits of Victorian prudence in
matters of sex and religious hypocrisy. Issues of sexual desire arise often in this novel: although

only sixteen years old at the beginning of the novel, Tess looks more of a mature woman than she
really is and is seduced or even raped by her wealthy cousin Alec, whose mistress she becomes
for a brief period of time. At this point, professor Spurgin introduces an interesting parallel
between Tess of the dUrbervilles and Samuel Richardsons novel Pamela. Tess of the
dUrbervilles seems to be Hardys revision of Pamela: while the latter gains respect and a
marriage proposal for proving her worthiness, Tess is seduced and her sin will affect her entire
life. Perhaps from this perspective, another good parallel would be that between Tess and Hester
Prynne, the main character from Nathaniel Hawthornes novel, The Scarlet Letter: although
Victorian England and seventh century Puritan Boston are different, Tess wears her guilt at both
a subconscious and social level as much as Hester wears the scarlet letter A for Adultery.
Throughout the novel matters of sexuality constantly break the limit of the Victorian English
novel. Through Tesss intense suffering, Hardy points out that she has broken a social rule rather
than a natural one , thus suggesting that sexual desire is natural.
Another unconventional idea is religious hypocrisy. What I consider to be a very good example
of this idea is Alecs sudden conversion into a religious man and Tesss reasonable statement that
he cannot secure Heaven by becoming converted (Hardy: 483) after he had rejoiced life by
bringing destruction upon those like her.
It is interesting to mention that Hardy himself had doubts and felt uncomfortable with these
aspects of the novel. In the initial publication of Tess of the dUrbervilles in instalments he
removed and published separately some of the controversial scenes( the rape/ seduction scene).
He later compared this process with that of dismembering a body. He then reintroduced these
scenes in the volume form of the novel, boldly giving it the subtitle A pure woman.
The last part of the lecture brings forward the connection between the three main points of
discussion: Thomas Hardys tragic sensibility, view of sexuality and view of nature. Concerning
the later, Hardy seems, at first glance, to encourage the reader to perceive the nature either as
benevolent or as malevolent.
A depiction of nature as benevolent is represented by the scenes from the Dairy: the action of the
sunrays upon the flower buds equals the influence of a new feeling of love upon Tess and the
natures many enchantments parallel Tesss new life. However, this life is simply too good to be

true. As her omnipresent past destroys her happiness and future plans, nature itself is portrayed
as malevolent. Tesss new working conditions are in clear antithesis with her former
surroundings at the dairy. Even the job itself comprises the idea of dirt and cruelty ( the turnip
roots are dug up using a hacker). The description of the appearance of the earth as a featureless
face, like an expanse of skin( professor Spurgins quote) looking towards the featureless sky is
gruesome and almost ghastly.
Bigger forces seem to take an illogic revenge on Tess when her beloved husband, Angel, comes
too late to offer his support. As Tess can no longer fight against this turmoil of misfortunes, she
decides to put an end to all of them by killing Alec, only to have a brief, happy period of time
with Angel, before being executed for murder.
All these aspects denote the fact that Hardy seems to have been influenced by Darwin regarding
his view of nature. At first sight, Darwins world may be perceived as cruel and violent, a race
for resources, in which failure means death to the individual and extinction to the species.
Instead of this, Darwins real point of view is that nature is indifferent and that the process of
natural selection is rather mechanical than deliberately violent. These all point to the idea that the
individual can be suited for his environment or not. This idea also applies to Tess, who is unfit
for her environment: she is the only responsible, sensible member of her family, she is better and
much more moral than her aristocratic cousin but at the same time she doesnt meet Angels
idea of a chaste woman.
For Hardy, as for Darwin, nature is amoral, but Hardy is even more disappointed by this
outcome. For him, amoral nature is even worse than immoral nature since it rules out the
possibility of a noble fight against violent, superior forces and the whole idea of a meaning of
life. Morality doesnt have a meaning either because one cannot speak of it in a universe that
knows no standards and principles or their opposed forces. This may also be seen as a conclusion
to his frustration against the moral constraints imposed on English novelists, making the
Victorian idea of morality to seem a mere joke.
Related to the meaningless aspect of life and morality is the idea of consciousness as a
maladaptation. To have a consciousness in an amoral universe makes ones suffering even

greater: Tesss interpretation of the reproach of the nature towards her sin is only a projection of
her guilty consciousness.
The conclusion of the lecture brings forward Hardys ideas about nature and consciousness as
maladaptation, presenting them as universal: each and every one of as may be considered a misfit
like Tess and just like her, we may tend to project our own thoughts, feelings and mistakes onto
nature. Through this unique view of life portrayed by his novels, Thomas Hardy is essentially
different from earlier English novelists.