HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE  H01033  2/28/01   "HARDY'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHILDREN"
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From: Donnalpha@aol.com
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 16:50:43 EST
Subject: Re: HARDY and the countryside.

>Hi Mr and Mrs Cortus,  I have two questions for you:  I just finished reading  
>Jude and was distressed on the deaths of the children.  What was Hardy's  
>thoughts on children?  Was he sorry he didn't have any?  I understand why  
>there was a public outcry about Jude ( Am I wrong, I'm only  a  housewife!)    
>I also just finished the Mayor of Casterbridge,  I liked the way he put James  
>Everdene and Farmer Boldwood in the text.   I felt so sorry for so many of  
>the character's in the book at different times during my reading.  Most of  
>all Mr. Henchard!  Was the book a great success when it was written?     
>Sincerley, Donna

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Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 16:32:54 -0800
From: Betty  Cortus <hardycor@owl.csusm.edu>
Subject: Re: HARDY and the countryside.
   

Dear Donna,
Let me start out by saying  that you are not ONLY a housewife.  From my own
experience I know that to be one of the most demanding and
under-appreciated professions in existence.  And anyone who enjoys Hardy,
as you obviously do is a SOMEBODY to me.

To address your questions, if only superficially for the moment, I agree
with you that the public outcry about the deaths of the children in JUDE
was certainly predictible.  I can't think of any scene in 19th Century
literature more harrowing.  Even Michael Henchard's wife-selling episode
pales by comparison.  Yet this has not prevented either of these novels
from being among Hardy's most admired.

As to Hardy's attitude toward children, I'm not aware of any indication
that he disliked them.  On the contrary there is quite a lot of evidence in
his poems and prose to suggest that he was disappointed about being the
last of his lineage, and would have very much liked to have had a child.

Would any other list-members like to comment more specifically on these
points?  And thank you for raising them Donna.

Betty Cortus
hardycor@mailhost2.csusm.edu

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Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2001 07:47:00 -0500
Subject: Re: HARDY and childhood.
From: "Philip & Andrea Allingham" <apalling@tbaytel.net>

Dear Donna,
    Hardy's appreciation of childhood (well, boyhood, at any rate) is well
reflected in his boys' adventure novella *Our Exploits at West Poley*, which
is an amusing read.

Philip V. Allingham

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Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2001 14:45:50 -0500
From: Rosemarie Morgan <rosemarie.morgan@yale.edu>
Subject: Re: HARDY and childhood.

See also Ralph Elliott's beautifully balanced essay, "Bread and Babies," in
*Human Shows: Essays in Honour of Michael Millgate*, eds, Rosemarie Morgan &
Richard Nemesvari (TTHA Press, 2000), 7-23, in which Elliott leaves it up to
the discerning reader to sift the evidence relating to Hardy's fondness (or
otherwise) for children.

 Cheers,
 Rosemarie 

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