pennyaa
11-29-2008, 10:32 PM
Hello. I reached this site while googling info re Thomas Hardy's "Life's Little Ironies". I was looking for critical comment. I may have found a good site here!
I am a choral singer, so was struck by the last sentence in Chapter 3 of A Tragedy of Two Ambitions- "It was a cloud no bigger than a man's hand". This appears to me a delightful ironic reference to the oratorio "Elijah"- the part where Elijah sends a little boy out to look for a sign of rain, which would save his people. At last, the boy spots a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, and the rains do come from this. Of course in the Hardy story, the"cloud" is the news that the drunken father plans to return to England from Canada and will likely bring fresh grief to his sons at home.
I am so fascinated by Hardy's use of language in general. I have been a serious reader all my life, and have recently been reading more Hardy. By way of introduction, I am a 69 year old retired nutrtionist with interests in art (husband is an artist), music (son and dil professional classical musicians), gardening (recently returned from a tour of the gardens of France), and social issues such as affordable housing in addition to my literary interests. I subscribe to 2 journals- Literary Review and Slightly Foxed- from England. I also read the wonderful Granta magazine at the library.
Would someone out there point me to any online critical analysis of Hardy's work?
I am new to posting- have no idea what a tag is, so won't add one.
TIA
pennyaa
I am a choral singer, so was struck by the last sentence in Chapter 3 of A Tragedy of Two Ambitions- "It was a cloud no bigger than a man's hand". This appears to me a delightful ironic reference to the oratorio "Elijah"- the part where Elijah sends a little boy out to look for a sign of rain, which would save his people. At last, the boy spots a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, and the rains do come from this. Of course in the Hardy story, the"cloud" is the news that the drunken father plans to return to England from Canada and will likely bring fresh grief to his sons at home.
I am so fascinated by Hardy's use of language in general. I have been a serious reader all my life, and have recently been reading more Hardy. By way of introduction, I am a 69 year old retired nutrtionist with interests in art (husband is an artist), music (son and dil professional classical musicians), gardening (recently returned from a tour of the gardens of France), and social issues such as affordable housing in addition to my literary interests. I subscribe to 2 journals- Literary Review and Slightly Foxed- from England. I also read the wonderful Granta magazine at the library.
Would someone out there point me to any online critical analysis of Hardy's work?
I am new to posting- have no idea what a tag is, so won't add one.
TIA
pennyaa