Another look at Thomas Hardy

Claire Tomalin begins her biography of Thomas Hardy brilliantly, casting chronology aside to describe the most dramatic moment of his life, that of witnessing the sudden death of his first wife, Emma. The husband who had even arranged separate staircases for their bedrooms made amends for the physic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Contemporary Review 2007, Vol.289 (1687), p.512
Main Author: Bridgman, Joan
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
Foot
Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928)
Novels
Poetry
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Claire Tomalin begins her biography of Thomas Hardy brilliantly, casting chronology aside to describe the most dramatic moment of his life, that of witnessing the sudden death of his first wife, Emma. The husband who had even arranged separate staircases for their bedrooms made amends for the physical distance that had grown between them in life by moving her body in its coffin to the foot of his bed, and kept it there for three days. Claire Tomalin shows much sympathy for the unfortunate Emma, whose behaviour grew so inappropriate in dress and personal appearance that a doctor has recently suggested in the US that she had been infected with syphilis by Hardy.
ISSN:0010-7565