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Thomas Hardy

By: Brittany Frank and Daisy

McGuigan

http://public.gettysburg.edu/academics/english/hardy/Tho

masHardy.jpg

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Biography

Was born on June 2, 1840 in Dorset, Englandand died on January 11, 1928

Hardy's mother, provided for his education.

Hardy was apprenticed to an architect. Heworked in an office, which specialized inrestoration of churches.

In 1874 Hardy married Emma Lavinia Gifford.

Who then died in 1912 In 1914 he married his secretary, Florence Emily

Dugdale.

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Biography Part 2

Wrote about his imaginary Wessex, but healso stirred up controversy with "Tess of

the D'Urbervilles" and "Jude the Obscure."

After the uproar over these novels, Hardysaid he would never write another novel.

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Occupation

Thomas Hardy was an English novelist,

short story writer, and poet.

He was a Victorian Poet

He used his writings to elaborate his own

pessimistic view of life

His poetry marks the transition from theVictorian Age to the modernist movement

of the 20thcentury

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Literary Style

The use of irony

The use of words to

convey a meaning that

is opposite of its literalmeaning.

Uses first person in

Ah, Are You Diggingon My Grave?

Uses a narrator to tell

the poem

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Achievements

First success was FarFrom the MaddingCrowd, published in1874.

Many of his storieshave been filmed.

He has been

regarded as aregional novelist

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Thomass Works

Novels

Desperate Remedies (1871)

Under the Greenwood Tree (1872)

A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873)

Far From the Madding Crowd(1874)

The Hand of Ethelberta (1876)

The Return of the Native (1878)

The Trumpet-Major (1880)

A Laodicean (1881)

Two on a Tower (1882)

The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)

The Woodlanders (1887)

Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891)

Jude the Obscure (1895)

The Well-Beloved (1897)

Short stories

Barbara of the House of Grebe (1890)

The Vampirine Fair (1909)

Absent-mindedness in a Parish Choir

The Duke's Reappearance

The Return of the Native (excerpt)

Squire Petrick's Lady Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver

The Withered Arm

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Ah, Are You Digging On My

Grave? Pg. 780 in text "Ah, are you digging on my grave,

My loved one? -- planting rue?"-- "No: yesterday he went to wedOne of the brightest wealth has bred.'It cannot hurt her now,' he said,'That I should not be true.'"

"Then who is digging on my grave,My nearest dearest kin?"-- "Ah, no: they sit and think, 'Whatuse!What good will planting flowersproduce?No tendance of her mound can looseHer spirit from Death's gin.'"

"But someone digs upon my grave?My enemy? -- prodding sly?"-- "Nay: when she heard you hadpassed the GateThat shuts on all flesh soon or late,She thought you no more worth herhate,

And cares not where you lie.

"Then, who is digging on my grave?Say -- since I have not guessed!"-- "O it is I, my mistress dear,Your little dog , who still lives near,

And much I hope my movements hereHave not disturbed your rest?"

"Ah yes! You dig upon my grave...Why flashed it not to meThat one true heart was left behind!What feeling do we ever findTo equal among human kind

A dog's fidelity!"

"Mistress, I dug upon your graveTo bury a bone, in case

I should be hungry near this spotWhen passing on my daily trot.I am sorry, but I quite forgotIt was your resting place."

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Summary of: Ah, Are You Digging

On My Grave?

The narrator, who is

in her grave, thinks

her loved one is

planting rue( a wildflower; also means

regret and sorrow) on

her grave. But he is

really getting marriedto a wealthy women.

Then the narrator

thinks her dearest kin

is digging on her

grave. She says herfriends are sitting

around saying what

will planting plants on

her grave do.

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Summary

Now the narrator

thinks its her enemy.

But she realizes her

hate isnt worthanything because

shes dead.

The narrator wants to

know who is digging

on her grave since all

her other guesseswhere incorrect. The

dog tells her it is him

and he hopes he

didnt disturb her.

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Summary

She says there is one

person that she left

behind that truly loved

her and that was herdog.

Now the dog is telling

his owner, who is in

the grave, that he did

not realize it was hergrave that he was

digging upon. He was

just trying to burry his

bone.

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Poetic Structure

Rhythmic schemeABCCDB

Tonehumorous and ironic

Punrue meaning a wild flower or regretor sorrow.

PersonificationDeaths gin meaning

deaths trap. Death is a non-human thingso it cannot physically trap something.

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Things to Know:

The three people the speaker thinks are digging on hergrave are her husband, the dearest kin, and enemy

Her dog was digging on the grave

The dog was trying to burry his bone

Victorian poet

Rue is a wild flower and also means regret and sorrow

Born in England

Tone of the poem is humorous and ironic

Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that isopposite of its literal meaning.

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Work Cited

Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave? OnlineLiterature. 7 Feb. 2008 .

Classic Lit. 13 Feb. 2008

.

Poets Corner. 13 Feb. 2008. Thomas Hardy. E Notes. 7 Feb. 2008.