Thomas Hardy, Femininity and Dissent - Reassessing the 'Minor' Novels

Drawing on aspects of Foucauldian feminist theory, the author offers a critical reading of Desperate Remedies, A Pair of Blue Eyes, The Hand of Ethelberta, A Laodicean, Two on a Tower and The Well Beloved, demonstrating Hardy's modern appreciation of how individuals negotiate the forces which shape their sense of self.