{"product_id":"9781412845731","title":"A General Drama of Pain: Character and Fate in Hardy's Major Novels","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This motivational analysis of the protagonists in Thomas Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s three most widely read novels\u0026amp;mdash;\u0026lt;em\u0026gt;Tess of the d\u0026amp;rsquo;Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge\u0026lt;\/em\u0026gt;, and \u0026lt;em\u0026gt;Jude the Obscure\u0026lt;\/em\u0026gt;\u0026amp;mdash;highlights an often-overlooked aspect of his art. Bernard J. Paris shows Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s genius in creating imagined human beings. He demonstrates that while Hardy tends to blame external conditions for his characters\u0026amp;rsquo; painful fates, their downfalls are due to a very complex combination of cosmic, social, and psychological factors.\u0026lt;\/p\u0026gt;\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s characters are usually discussed primarily in thematic terms.\u0026amp;nbsp;The characters are are so richly portrayed, Paris argues, that they can be better understood independent of Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s interpretations, in motivational terms and he utilizes the psychologist Karen Horney\u0026amp;rsquo;s theories to recover Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s intuitions. The characters are full of inner conflicts that make them difficult to fathom, but the approach Paris employs explains their contradictions and illuminates their troubled relationships\u0026amp;mdash;shedding light on these expertly crafted imagined human beings.\u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/p\u0026gt;\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This psychological approach to Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s characters enables us to understand his characters and gain insight into the implied authors of the works. In addition, the approach shows Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s authorial personality.\u0026amp;nbsp;We can see that Hardy treats some defensive strategies more sympathetically than others. Given his view of life as \u0026amp;ldquo;a general drama of pain,\u0026amp;rdquo; resignation, like that of Hardy\u0026amp;rsquo;s character Elizabeth-Jane, is the strategy he prefers. \u0026amp;nbsp;\u0026lt;\/p\u0026gt;\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Transaction Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47138427699440,"sku":"9781412845731","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781412845731_p0.jpg?v=1763725267","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781412845731","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}