Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
115 views
Archive > Order of Reading

Comments Showing 1-14 of 14 (14 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Amy, On moderating sabbatical (last edited Oct 24, 2016 01:19PM) (new)

Amy | 121 comments Mod
Here's Our Tentative Reading List. In order to stave off burn-out, we're going to go for a long-range reading plan with perhaps only 3 books per year (since there was such a long lull between the first 4 and the 5th).

2014
Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy Desperate Remedies (1871) ... April and May 2014
Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) ... June 2014
A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) ... July 2014
Far from the Madding Crowd  by Thomas Hardy Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) ... August & September 2014

2016
The Hand of Ethelberta by Thomas Hardy The Hand of Ethelberta (1876) ... April & May 2016
The Return of the Native  by Thomas Hardy The Return of the Native (1878) ... June & July 2016
The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy The Trumpet-Major (1880) ... November and December 2016

2017
A Laodicean A Story of Today (Everyman Library) by Thomas Hardy A Laodicean: A Story of Today (1881) ...
Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy Two on a Tower (1882) ...
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) ...

2018
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy The Woodlanders (1887) ...
Wessex Tales by Thomas Hardy Wessex Tales (1888, a collection of short stories) ...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) ...

2019
A Group of Noble Dames by Thomas Hardy A Group of Noble Dames (1891, a collection of short stories)
The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy The Well-Beloved(first published as a serial from 1892)
Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy Life's Little Ironies (1894, a collection of short stories) ...

2020
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy Jude the Obscure (1895) ...
In Scarlet and Grey and the Spectre of the Real (1896) by Florence Henniker In Scarlet and Grey and the Spectre of the Real ("The Spectre of the Real" was a short story written with Florence Henniker, 1896) ...
A Changed Man and Other Stories  by Thomas Hardy A Changed Man and Other Stories (a collection of short stories, 1913) ...

Some larger novels might be spread over a couple of months instead of one.

We might also want to consider reading The Life and Work of Thomas Hardy by Thomas Hardy The Life and Work of Thomas Hardy at some point. It's an autobiography/biography that was originally published by his 2nd wife in 2 volumes in 1928-30. The first half of the book, The Early Life of Thomas Hardy covers his life from 1840–91 (up through his writing of Tess), and second half, The Later Years of Thomas Hardy, covers the period of time from 1892 to 1928. I'm only concerned that it might spoil some plot points in his novels. If we want to read this, when/how should we read it? Thoughts?


message 2: by Brian E (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments After a great ROTN read, I look forward to re-reading Mayor in a few weeks.
I've read all the novels and joined this group to re-read Hardy's big 5 - FFTMC, ROTN, Mayor, Tess and Jude. I enjoyed and understood ROTN much more by reading it with the group.
I think its interesting that, since I plan to participate in the Jude group read, I'm scheduling what I will read in 2020.


message 3: by Amy, On moderating sabbatical (new)

Amy | 121 comments Mod
Brian wrote: "After a great ROTN read, I look forward to re-reading Mayor in a few weeks.
I've read all the novels and joined this group to re-read Hardy's big 5 - FFTMC, ROTN, Mayor, Tess and Jude. I enjoyed ..."


I've not been really active with this group in a while ... or any group because I was so burnt out on reading on a required schedule rather than when I want. But I have been wanting to read The Mayor of Casterbridge since a co-worker who has read everything by Hardy said it was her favorite. I guess I've only read 2 of the big 5 (FFTMC and ROTN), so this will make 3. Thanks for writing here to remind me it was on the schedule for October 15th.


message 4: by Brian E (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments Amy, I understand reading so much from Goodreads groups that you have no time for other reading. Sometimes you have to go on your own again.
With MAYOR, please let me know if you want to postpone it as i was going to start it today, but see there is no thread and will start something else instead. I've got several Goodreads group reads I'm going to join in with.


message 5: by Amy, On moderating sabbatical (new)

Amy | 121 comments Mod
Brian wrote: "Amy, I understand reading so much from Goodreads groups that you have no time for other reading. Sometimes you have to go on your own again.
With MAYOR, please let me know if you want to postpone ..."


I started a discussion thread for it, so we're on: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 6: by Brian E (last edited Apr 01, 2018 09:09PM) (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments Hey Amy, are you going to read any Hardy this year. I've read all the Hardy novels and joined this group to re-read my so-called Big 5. so would re-read Tess but would also re-read The Woodlanders too. It may be #6, so part of a Big 6, and I've never read Wessex Tales, so am up for that.
Let us (or me) know your plans and, remember that you never put in your final comments on the MOC thread, I'm still interested in your thoughts.


message 7: by Brian E (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments Amy, The Never To Late To Read Classics Group will be reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles in July 2018 and I will join that group's Discussion as I was ready to read it for this group anyway, and it will complete my re-read of the Big 5.
If you are interested in doing it in this group too, I will join, but you can also just follow in the NTLTRC group read as you are a member there too. It would be great to have you in on the read, but I know you are busy doing your own thing, which is not a bad thing.


message 8: by Amy, On moderating sabbatical (new)

Amy | 121 comments Mod
I've added an additional moderator if you would all like to get the group going strong again. Anyone who is interested in being a co-moderator can private message me.


message 9: by Brian (new)

Brian Fagan | 31 comments Hi. I'm checking in to see if the moderators have a book in mind to get started on soon.


message 10: by Frances (new)

Frances Robson (franthearchaeologist) | 1 comments Brian wrote: "Hi. I'm checking in to see if the moderators have a book in mind to get started on soon."

*Following


message 11: by Brian (new)

Brian Fagan | 31 comments Hello Hardians. Any interest in a new read ?


message 12: by Brian E (last edited Aug 08, 2021 01:55PM) (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments Brian wrote: "Hello Hardians. Any interest in a new read ?"

This group is inactive and has no moderator. Amy did a wonderful job but pulled out about late 2017 or 2018. Emilymom joined and became the moderator and put her heart into it. We had some good discussions, but there were only a few participants. Brian #1, I think you joined or at least started participating at that time.
Then, sometime in 2020 or so, Emilymom must have quit Goodreads, or at least this group, because she not only left, but deleted all her comments. Since many threads consisted of only myself and her, it now looks like I'm just talking to myself in the threads. Kind of funny.

In other words, if you want this group to go on, somehow come up with a way of becoming the moderator of it so you can start threads. I'm not interested. I had read all of Hardy's novels before joining the group in 2014 and in this group have read the short story collections and reread the 5 major novels. I may reread The Woodlanders sometime but not too soon as I have other novels I'd rather read.


message 13: by Brian (new)

Brian Fagan | 31 comments Thanks for bringing me up to speed, Brian. I had read Hardy's major novels over the years, and then when I was injured in 2013 I ordered the lesser known ones and devoured them. But I was going to use this group as a stimulus for some great rereads, like ROTN earlier this year. I'm don't have a moderator personality. Best wishes to you and to everyone else ! Take care.


message 14: by Brian E (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 170 comments Brian wrote: "I'm don't have a moderator personality."

I don't either. Too much work and diplomacy involved. See you in the Victorians group.


back to top
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.