Description
Book SynopsisWoman Much Missed is the first book-length study of the many poems that Thomas Hardy composed in the wake of the death of his first wife Emma. It shows how Emma's writings and experiences were fundamental to Hardy's evolution into both a best-selling novelist and into one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century
Trade ReviewFord's close reading of Hardy's poetry and his analysis of many of his influences and sources is impressive. There's a wealth of fascinating material in this book. * Harriet, Shiny New Books *
[O]utstanding: admirably concise but rich in the meticulous close reading at which Ford excels...Mark Ford sets it all out - the necromantic poet, his much-missed wife, and her "shy, pliant, star-struck" but no less ghost-ridden understudy - without ever passing judgement, except on the poetry. Compassionate, intelligent and supremely tactful, this is the deeply humane book all three deserve. * TLS *
Table of ContentsNote on Texts Abbreviations Preface Prologue: She Opened the Door What Poetry Meant to Hardy 1: Votary of the Muse 2: The Other Side of Common Emotions Lyonnesse 3: Emma's Devon and Cornwall 4: Courtship The Rift 5: A Preface Without Any Book 6: Divisions Dire and Wry Afterwards 7: Dear Ghost 8: Two Bright-Souled Women Selected Bibliography Acknowledgements
