Hardy

Death of Wife Emma

deeply in love then marriage became cold. Emma suddenly died. Hardy was hit by regret and guilt. Spent next years writing grief poetry about her. Grief. Regret. Memory

Loss of rural Wessex

Watched Industrial Revolution take over his hometown. Setting. Time. Change

Agnosticism

Hardy suffered faith chrisis due to Darwin’s findings. Lost belief in a loving god. Believed in an uncaring force that drives the universe with disregard for suffering.

Boer war and WW1

Living through both these wars. Deeply anti war. Lots of his poems focused on tragedies in war. Conflict. Power.

Architectural background

Trained as an architect. Specialised in restoring gothic churches. Influenced how he constructed his poetry. Form and structure.