There is at the present day a more than usually interesting group of writers in England. Their personality is delightful, and their point of view is eminently modern, full of the spirit of the times. The material for study must be gleaned largely from magazine articles, and by looking over the files of such publications as the Review of Reviews, the Literary Digest, the Outlook, and the Bookman, there will be found sketches of the lives and work of all those given here. In addition the New International Encyclopædia has biographical sketches, and Poole's Index and other reference books at a public library will direct to more material.
All programs on these authors should be arranged in four parts: first, the life of the author, as full as may be, with sketches of his experiences, his home circle, his friends, his methods of work; second, a criticism of his writing, his style, his mannerisms, the general trend of his ideas, and some mention of his place among writers; third, readings from several of his books; and fourth, a discussion of his characters by the club members.
In place of one of these topics, some clubs may prefer a paper showing the change in the author's methods and style, based on a comparison of his earlier and later writings.
I—THOMAS HARDY
Thomas Hardy was born in Dorsetshire in 1840, and educated to be an architect. It was as a rebuilder of old churches that he became an antiquarian and then a student of rural types, since his work took him to country districts. His own county lives in his books under the name of Wessex, and the people he draws are taken from life. He has a sympathetic touch in dealing with their problems and peculiarities which comes from close contact and genuine affection.
His first novel, Under the Greenwood Tree, was followed by a second which won him popularity, Far from the Madding Crowd. This appeared anonymously as a serial, and at the time was attributed to George Eliot, because she was thought to be the only living author capable of writing it. The Return of the Native is perhaps his most characteristic book, although in Jude the Obscure he shows a merciless character analysis. But in Tess of the D'Urbervilles he reaches the height of his power. It is a story of tragedy, expressing the doctrine that man must reap what he has sown. Read several chapters from Tess and discuss the story.
Hardy's short stories also are well known and a collection called Wessex Tales will be found excellent for selections for club reading. The Three Strangers is generally considered his best story. Notice the descriptions of scenery, the characteristics of the country people and their personalities. Does Hardy show a lack of humor? Is he a fatalist?
II—MAURICE HEWLETT
Maurice Hewlett was born in London in 1866, educated there, and admitted to the bar. It was in the midst of city life that he wrote his first novel, The Forest Lovers, which he has never excelled in beauty and charm. It is an exquisite, simple picture of life in the Middle Ages, with a lovely romance running through it. Critics tell us that of all his contemporaries he has best interpreted medieval thought and sentiment.
Later he wrote other novels of the same period, notably Richard Yea-and-Nay, sometimes called an epic story, full of passion, war and poetry. It was with this book that fame came to Hewlett.