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Thomas Hardy
By: Brittany Frank and Daisy
McGuigan
http://public.gettysburg.edu/academics/english/hardy/Tho
masHardy.jpg
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Biography
Was born on June 2, 1840 in Dorset, Englandand died on January 11, 1928
Hardy's mother, provided for his education.
Hardy was apprenticed to an architect. Heworked in an office, which specialized inrestoration of churches.
In 1874 Hardy married Emma Lavinia Gifford.
Who then died in 1912 In 1914 he married his secretary, Florence Emily
Dugdale.
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Biography Part 2
Wrote about his imaginary Wessex, but healso stirred up controversy with "Tess of
the D'Urbervilles" and "Jude the Obscure."
After the uproar over these novels, Hardysaid he would never write another novel.
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Occupation
Thomas Hardy was an English novelist,
short story writer, and poet.
He was a Victorian Poet
He used his writings to elaborate his own
pessimistic view of life
His poetry marks the transition from theVictorian Age to the modernist movement
of the 20thcentury
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Literary Style
The use of irony
The use of words to
convey a meaning that
is opposite of its literalmeaning.
Uses first person in
Ah, Are You Diggingon My Grave?
Uses a narrator to tell
the poem
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Achievements
First success was FarFrom the MaddingCrowd, published in1874.
Many of his storieshave been filmed.
He has been
regarded as aregional novelist
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Thomass Works
Novels
Desperate Remedies (1871)
Under the Greenwood Tree (1872)
A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873)
Far From the Madding Crowd(1874)
The Hand of Ethelberta (1876)
The Return of the Native (1878)
The Trumpet-Major (1880)
A Laodicean (1881)
Two on a Tower (1882)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)
The Woodlanders (1887)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891)
Jude the Obscure (1895)
The Well-Beloved (1897)
Short stories
Barbara of the House of Grebe (1890)
The Vampirine Fair (1909)
Absent-mindedness in a Parish Choir
The Duke's Reappearance
The Return of the Native (excerpt)
Squire Petrick's Lady Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver
The Withered Arm
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Ah, Are You Digging On My
Grave? Pg. 780 in text "Ah, are you digging on my grave,
My loved one? -- planting rue?"-- "No: yesterday he went to wedOne of the brightest wealth has bred.'It cannot hurt her now,' he said,'That I should not be true.'"
"Then who is digging on my grave,My nearest dearest kin?"-- "Ah, no: they sit and think, 'Whatuse!What good will planting flowersproduce?No tendance of her mound can looseHer spirit from Death's gin.'"
"But someone digs upon my grave?My enemy? -- prodding sly?"-- "Nay: when she heard you hadpassed the GateThat shuts on all flesh soon or late,She thought you no more worth herhate,
And cares not where you lie.
"Then, who is digging on my grave?Say -- since I have not guessed!"-- "O it is I, my mistress dear,Your little dog , who still lives near,
And much I hope my movements hereHave not disturbed your rest?"
"Ah yes! You dig upon my grave...Why flashed it not to meThat one true heart was left behind!What feeling do we ever findTo equal among human kind
A dog's fidelity!"
"Mistress, I dug upon your graveTo bury a bone, in case
I should be hungry near this spotWhen passing on my daily trot.I am sorry, but I quite forgotIt was your resting place."
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Summary of: Ah, Are You Digging
On My Grave?
The narrator, who is
in her grave, thinks
her loved one is
planting rue( a wildflower; also means
regret and sorrow) on
her grave. But he is
really getting marriedto a wealthy women.
Then the narrator
thinks her dearest kin
is digging on her
grave. She says herfriends are sitting
around saying what
will planting plants on
her grave do.
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Summary
Now the narrator
thinks its her enemy.
But she realizes her
hate isnt worthanything because
shes dead.
The narrator wants to
know who is digging
on her grave since all
her other guesseswhere incorrect. The
dog tells her it is him
and he hopes he
didnt disturb her.
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Summary
She says there is one
person that she left
behind that truly loved
her and that was herdog.
Now the dog is telling
his owner, who is in
the grave, that he did
not realize it was hergrave that he was
digging upon. He was
just trying to burry his
bone.
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Poetic Structure
Rhythmic schemeABCCDB
Tonehumorous and ironic
Punrue meaning a wild flower or regretor sorrow.
PersonificationDeaths gin meaning
deaths trap. Death is a non-human thingso it cannot physically trap something.
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Things to Know:
The three people the speaker thinks are digging on hergrave are her husband, the dearest kin, and enemy
Her dog was digging on the grave
The dog was trying to burry his bone
Victorian poet
Rue is a wild flower and also means regret and sorrow
Born in England
Tone of the poem is humorous and ironic
Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that isopposite of its literal meaning.
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Work Cited
Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave? OnlineLiterature. 7 Feb. 2008 .
Classic Lit. 13 Feb. 2008
.
Poets Corner. 13 Feb. 2008. Thomas Hardy. E Notes. 7 Feb. 2008.