HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE H0082 10/5/00 'SUPERSTITION IN HARDY" ================================================ From: "MFCX8MJW" Organization: University of Manchester Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 14:37:26 BST Hello Everyone, I am a third year student of English at the University of Manchester and I am currently starting to research my dissertation. My chosen topic is superstition in the major novels of Thomas Hardy. Therefore, I was wondering if anybody had any information or knows of any places were information regarding this topic might be gleaned? I'm primarily in interested in Tess, Return of the Native and the Mayor of Casterbridge but also any material that discusses relevant short stories would be useful. Thanks in advance. Regards Mark Wainwright ========== Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 11:20:06 -0700 From: Betty Cortus Subject: Re: A Difficult Topic Dear Mark, First, welcome to the HARDY-L Forum! There is a short discussion of superstition in the "Overview of the Forum" section of the July 1998 _The Hardy Review_, which is available for purchase through the TTHA web-site. However, it is more concerned with the role of the conjurer in the short story "The Withered Arm" than with the major novels. It might shed some light though on Henchard's visit to the conjurer, or "weather prophet" in Chapter 26 of MOC. Best Wishes, Betty Cortus hardycor@mailhost2.csusm.edu ========== From: RSeitz1009@aol.com Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 17:00:23 EDT Subject: Re: A Difficult Topic Hi Mark: There is a brief section on superstition in "Thomas Hardy's World" by Molly Lefebure (Carlton Books, London, 1997) on pages 34-35. This is not the most scholarly of works, but it does address the subject in which you are interested. I hope you can find a copy in your library, as I think you might find it helpful, at least in getting started. Best of luck on your project. Bob Seitz ========== Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 15:03:06 -0700 From: Betty Cortus Subject: Re: A Difficult Topic Mark, I just remembered that Rosemarie Morgan's book _Cancelled Words: Rediscovering Thomas Hardy_ (Routledge) also has a sizable section on superstition in it. Good luck with your project. Betty Cortus hardycor@mailhost2.csusm.edu ========== Date: Fri, 06 Oct 2000 18:02:19 +1000 From: David Cornelius Subject: Re: RCPT: A Difficult Topic You might try Ruth Firor's book, "Folkways in Thomas Hardy". You will also find use of superstition in some of the Short stories, What the Shepherd Saw; Interlopers at the Knap; The Withered Arm; The Fiddler of the Reels; A Committeeman of the 'Terror'; and possibly "The Doctor's Legend" Best wishes, David Cornelius David Cornelius 5 Caltowie Place Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia. dcorney@midcoast.com.au Carpe diem! ========== Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 11:45:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Meg Cronin Subject: Re: A Difficult Topic Dear Mark, My dissertation was on superstition in novels by Hardy, Mrs. Ward, and C. Bronte. Firor's book will surely be helpful, and there are several--well, many--articles on folklore in Hardy. There are a few on ROTN, including one on Diggory Venn the reddleman. I think that article is by J. O Bailey and the title has the quote in it from the novel "Mephistophelian visitants." I think it was a PMLA article (obviously I don't have my bibliography here). The Norton edition of ROTN has an essay on Folklore by Gindin himself, the editor of the novel. I can take a look at my bib and send you more sources if you like, but you'll probably begin with other primary texts--essays by Hardy on Dorset life, H's journals and notebooks--where he observed local superstition, etc., and even the Stith-Thompson Folklore Index. There's a nineteenth-century book published by Toucan Press (which has a Hardy interest) by John Symonds Udal. I think it's called Dorsetshire Folklore and it refers to Hardy a great deal, almost as if Udal is using Hardy as a source; that is, his attitude seems to be, "If it happened in a Hardy novel it must be a real superstition/practice." He cites the novels as if he is citing an anthropological text. Anyway, I could go on and on. If I think of anything else I'll let you know. Meg Cronin Meoghan Cronin St. Anselm College mgcronin@anselm.edu ==========