ABSTRACT
Hardy certainly provides easy pickings for those seeking philosophical inconsistencies;3 on the other hand, while not seeking to deny Hardy’s lack of systematic thought, a more generous critical tradition, exemplified by the work of Brian Green and Deborah Collins, has sought to distil from Hardy’s novels a ‘master theme’ around which the various strands of his thought are woven.4 This position can be summarized as follows: Hardy conceives of a world governed by deterministic laws – such as those of the Immanent Will, Darwinian sexual selection, materialist laws of determinism and the principle of heredity – which are unified under a partially anthropomorphized process indifferent to the suffering of humanity. Humanity is part of this deterministic universe, but possesses the double-edged ‘gift’ of consciousness, which not only enables individuals to perceive their misery of existence, but also allows them to rebel against the dictates of their environment, therefore creating a tragic tension.
