[Hardy-l] Shaping the "mature" Wessex text

[Rosemarie Morgan]

Hi Gary --

  I enjoyed your intriguing insights into Hardy's first and (later) revised 
editions. I particularly like "rough edges" (as the embedded or potentiate 
signs of his modernism);  I would, ideally, have students read both First 
and Last editions (as I think I've said before).

  As TH said when re-reading the MS of FFMC (never, ever read in full by 
him until it was discovered in the vaults of Smith Elder in 1914 when he 
agreed to put it up for sale at Sothebys to aid war efforts by the Red 
Cross-- typical of him, somehow):

"This is the work of a much younger man"

A work composed by an earlier "self" and then brought into line by an older 
"self" -  revised in light of contemporary criticism, evolving / relaxing 
/deteriorating /advancing authorial values, maturing attitudes and skills 
and, of course, for reasons of topographical consistency (notably in the 
case of Wessex) -- is intriguing, fascinating, alluring all by itself , but 
should surely *never* be presented to readers as comprising a "definitive" 
text.

Yes - I know that aberrant word isn't much in use any more these days but 
there are still those who refer back to Hardy's view in 1912 that the 
Wessex edition is most to be recommended. I suspect he was thinking with 
more insight and sensitivity when he commented on the "younger man" and 
less in terms of artistic/authorial authenticity when recommending the 
Wessex edition.

     I think it's true to say that the Grand Old Man (as he was becoming in 
1912) never really lost all vestiges of that "younger man" in the aged 
"self." But certain age-related conservatisms do carry sway, don't they? 
The aged Hardy had, for example, passed beyond his youthful "socialism" 
into a more diffuse humanitarianism, had embraced the contemporary world 
with less "revolutionary zeal" and more of the famed melioristic 
rationalism, had matured from being driven by the intensely passionate 
erotic urges of youth to something resembling kindred spirituality (I'm 
thinking of *Jude* mainly, of course). Etcetera.

I know this sounds uncomfortably generalistic -- and as such I hope it may 
urge other Forum participants to lend an ear and add their own views.

I would love to hear them!

Best
Rosemarie
_____________________________

>Speaking as a complete Literature illiterate

>
>I find that the final editions give a more complete view on the world of 
>Wessex; one that shows more (but not total) consistency.
>
>The first editions show the thoughts as they came from the artist.
>