With reference to at least four poems by Thomas Hardy, what do you think are the most notable features of Hardy's use of language and metrical form? With a poet as prolific as Thomas Hardy, ample material is provided for academics to both praise and criticise. F.R. Leavis famously described Hardy as 'making a style out of stylelessness' (quoted from Haslam & Turton, language section). His poetry is certainly striking to the reader …showed first 75 words of 624 total…

…showed last 75 words of 624 total…would seem to be encompassed by the fact that he exploited them both to convey what he felt were his 'truths' and yet did not conform rigidly to them. If a map for a journey is taken as an analogy, Hardy would use the map to plan a route but would then deviate from the main path along short side roads along the way, as long as these deviations enhanced the journey as a whole.