A Distant Prospect of Wessex: Archaeology and the Past in the Life and Works of Thomas Hardy (Archaeological Lives)

If the real Wessex, with its counties, towns, villages and topography, was no mere readily available template upon which Hardy could carve a fictional pattern, Dorchester provided a very different model, though at the level of local colour and detail, Casterbridge really is Dorchester 'by any other name.'' In this study, Martin Davies examines the role which Thomas Hardy’s involvement with the past plays in his life and literary work.Hardy’s life encompasses the transformation of archaeology out of mere antiquarianism into a fully scientific discipline.Hardy - once described as ‘a born archaeologist’ - observed this process at first hand, and its impact on his aesthetic and philosophical scheme was profound.Dr Davies’ study offers a different route to a fuller understanding of Hardy’s novels, poems, and short stories.How much was Hardy concerned with archaeology per se amongst his plethora of interests?How much did he actually know about it? Did his Classical education, architectural t