![]() Many of these are from either the Bible or Shakespeare, but they range over the whole of English literature as well. In the novel Hardy uses a great many quotations from his reading: at the head of each part, in the narrative, and in the conversations and thoughts of the characters. In Hardy's defense it should be said, however, that there are passages in the novel in which his style serves him quite well. Phillotson says to Arabella when they meet many years after she has been a student of his, "I should hardly recognize in your present portly self the slim school child no doubt you were then." It is inconceivable that anyone would talk in this way, not even the schoolmaster Phillotson. Several instances of lapses in Hardy's style might be pointed out, but one will serve to illustrate what is meant. Shakespeare was, by Hardy's own admission, the greatest literary influence on him, but certainly not in the area of style. Such writers can express themselves in striking and original ways, but their lack of formal education sometimes causes them to fall into awkwardness and excess. Hardy's Writing Style and Use of QuotationsĬritics have often noted the faults in Hardy's style, and perhaps this is to be expected in a writer who was largely self-educated. ![]() Symbolism and Irony in Jude the Obscure. ![]()
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