A FORMER vicar at Holy Trinity Weymouth has published a book exploring religious themes in Thomas Hardy's literature.
Canon Richard Franklin, has published a book entitled 'Thomas Hardy and Religion: Theological Themes in Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure'.
In the book, the author explores the development of Hardy’s religious beliefs and ideas and looks at the way he emphasises Evangelicalism in Tess and High Church Anglicanism in Jude.
He links this emphasis to Hardy’s biography, especially his religious upbringing and experiences in Stinsford, Dorchester and London.
Throughout his analysis of both novels the author explores how Hardy lambasts the way in which religious traditions and the conventional Victorian morality they bolstered undermined human well-being. Despite this the author argues that Hardy was almost instinctively drawn to religion, as he was known to describe himself as ‘churchy’.
Thomas Hardy had many connections with Dorset and moved back and forth between Dorset and London over many years, but eventually settled in the outskirts of Dorset's county town, Dorchester.
There is to be a book launch at Sunninghill School on July 13 at 6.30 pm.
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