Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

I hope it is all right to start a discussion.
I just wanted to introduce myself. I have read
Hardy's "main" books several times over the
years and I thought, as I have just joined
"Goodreads", I would start again with "Desperate
Remedies". Haven't got very far - about 100
pages or so but the thing that struck me about
this book, even when I read it years ago, was
how different and quite rambling it was
compared to his later books. Books such as
"Far From the Madding Crowd" and "Return of
the Native" were much easier to read than this
one. How do other people feel about it? To
me Hardy was definitely feeling his way as a
writer. As time goes on I will try to read
his other books. I can remember when reading
his books before I seemed to read them in a
block. There is something about Hardy's books that
suck you in.

Do you think that Harvey's wife greatly influenced his writing? His style does certainly change throughout and he stopped writing novels altogether after the death of his wife.

I think she did influence his writing Susan. A few
months ago there was a program on the ABC called
"Literary Landscapes" where a presenter walked about
the different countryside where classic writers
(like Hardy and Lawrence) were inspired to write
their novels. I am sure they said Hardy was captivated
by Emma as soon as he met her and even though they
became estranged, her death hit Hardy hard and that's
when he started writing poetry. I think "A Pair of
Blue Eyes" was written about their courtship.
Apparently Emma was a very vibrant person.

In some of his novels he has written from a female's point a view. I actually think they were her ideas and his words.

I've been reading through his works, but I started toward the end of his career and then read Under the Greenwood Tree (his 2nd published book). 3 things struck me when reading it:

1. I can definitely see the influence of Charles Dickens in his writing, especially in the creation of his less gentrified characters. It seems he's still trying to find his own voice.

2. His social commentary on his distaste for some of the cultural aspects of Victorian society seems much more subdued than in later works. It seems that he's almost afraid to say what he really wants to say. Publishers rejected his first book because he was too blunt and too controversial. And it seems as if he's curtailed his desire to say something big. I'm just glad he eventually felt that his foot was in the door enough to say most of what he really wanted to say in later novels.

3. There is definite feminine influence here, especially when Fancy goes on and on about the importance of her dresses. I thought it was funny that the man ran away after that soliloquy because I was near to running away from the book myself. I couldn't believe a man could write on and on in such a fashion without having some help from having had to endure such a conversation or having a woman tell him what a woman might say in such a situation.

Amy wrote: "I've been reading through his works, but I started toward the end of his career and then read Under the Greenwood Tree (his 2nd published book). 3 things struck me when reading it:

1..."
Your comments are interesting. I believe I read Under the Greenwood Tree before I read his more famous, later novels. I recall finding it very slow going. Fortunately I did later read his other novels and of course found them all to be absolutely first-rate, and have read them all multiple times since then. Also did some exploring around the vicinity of Dorchester when I was in England, finding spots he had mentioned in his writings.

I found reading under the green wood tree very challenging to say the least. I never actually read it although I have read and enjoyed most of his novels. I am still convinced that his wife wrote his novels and took his name as the author.

It wasn't influence she wrote some of the novels. She didn't write Jude the Obscure though.