[hardy-l] Hardy's endings (was Tess's ending)

[Rosemarie Morgan]

>   It is for this reason that Boumelha can argue for a "more or less happy 
> ending" in her Penguin introduction to *RN*, despite the terrible events 
> that must occur to bring it about.  But for me those destabilizing events 
> provide the excess that can't be compensated for by the marriages.

Richard Nemesvari

______________
Yes -- and there is a strong sense in following the MS of FFMC that Hardy 
is anticipating a tragic ending (although I can't put my finger on it 
exactly) -- something to do, perhaps, with the deleted passage about Troy 
running off to war (and not swimming out at Lulworth Bay) -- and the 
general trajectory of the narrative. But of course Leslie Stephen wouldn't 
have tolerated that. He had asked for something along the lines of UGT and 
something along those lines he was determined to get. I think Hardy's 
expertise in undermining his "Happy Marriage" ending in FFMC is one of the 
most intellectually adroit manoeuvres he ever made.

  Best
Rosemarie