Which was the last of Thomas Hardy's novels to be published?
Thomas Hardy in which chance has a major role: "Had Bathsheba not sent the valentine, had Fanny not missed her wedding, for example, the story would have taken an entirely different path." Indeed, Hardy's main characters often seem to be held in fate's overwhelming grip. For online poems, see "Poetry collections" below. In 1898 Hardy published his first volume of poetry, "Wessex Poems", a collection of poems written over 30 years. While some suggest that Hardy gave up writing novels following the harsh criticism of "Jude the Obscure" in 1896, the poet C. H. Sisson calls this "hypothesis" "superficial and absurd". In
Thomas Hardy geological descriptions. It has also been suggested that the character of Henry Knight in "A Pair of Blue Eyes" was based on Horace Moule. Sites associated with Hardy's own life and which inspired the settings of his novels continue to attract literary tourists and casual visitors. For locations in Hardy's novels see: Thomas Hardy's Wessex, and the Thomas Hardy's Wessex research site, which includes maps. Hardy corresponded with and visited Lady Catherine Milnes Gaskell at Wenlock Abbey and many of Lady Catherine's books are inspired by Hardy, who was very fond of her. D. H. Lawrence's "Study of Thomas Hardy"