Hardy�s Philosophy or Tragic Vision of Life
Hardy, the novelist, was essentially a poet and an artist rather than a philosopher. Hardy was primarily a story-teller and should be viewed more as chronicler of moods and deeds than a philosopher. He repeatedly affirmed that the 'Views' expressed in his novels were not his convictions or beliefs; they were simply "impressions" of the moment. In The Return of the Native , Hardy proves a dismal view of life in which coincidence and accident conspire to produce the worst of circumstance due to the indifference of the Will. In order to understand Hady�s philosophy, we should have a fair idea of Hardy�s biography. Hardy lived in an age of transition. The industrial revolution was in the process of destroying the agricultural life, and the subsequent shifting of population caused a disintegration of rural customs and traditions. It was a period when fundamental beliefs � religious, social, scientific, and political � were shaken t...