HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE H9859  8/5/98  "HARDY'S HUMOR" 
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From: "Michele Denevan" <mdenevan@bss2.umd.edu>
Organization: University of Maryland,College Park
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 15:12:16 EDT
Subject: Hardy's Humor   

Greetings Hardy Scholars!
   I am trying to develop some ideas concerning Thomas Hardy's sense 
of humor and the use of humor in his novels (whenever I mention Hardy 
to most people they think of tragic characters in tragic 
circumstances - convincing people that Hardy could, indeed, be funny 
is not an easy thing). I've found that "A Laodicean" was very 
humorous and have read that "The Hand of Ethelberta" is itself a 
parody of some of the more sensational novels of the time. I've 
brought this topic up before with "A Laodicean" and I would like to 
get other readers' opinions on "The Hand of Ethelberta." 
Michelle Denevan
mdenevan@bss2.umd.edu

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Date: Thu, 06 Aug 1998 09:15:54 -0300
From: Richard Nemesvari <rnemesva@juliet.stfx.ca>
Organization: St. Francis Xavier University
Subject: Re: Hardy's Humor


<P>I would highly recommend Peter Widdowson' chapter on <U>The Hand of
Ethelberta</U> in his book <U>Hardy in History: A Study in Literary Sociology</U>
(Routledge, 1989).&nbsp; Its focus isn't on Hardy's humour, but it has
a number of interesting things to say in relation to other elements, including
satire.&nbsp; I'm not sure I'd read the novel as a parody of sensation
fiction, although I suppose it is a text "with a secret," so that component
is there.

<P>Richard Nemesvari
<BR>Department of English
<BR>St. Francis Xavier University
<BR>rnemesva@stfx.ca

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