Thomas Hardy, Desperate Remedies

Anna Spydell (Sewanee, University of the South)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1871

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Desperate Remedies

was the first published work of English author Thomas Hardy. It appeared in 1871 after his first manuscript,

The Poor Man and the Lady

, was rejected for publication. Hardy was encouraged by George Meredith to write a novel with “more plot”, with

Desperate Remedies

being the result (

, Oxford World’s Classics, ix). Published anonymously in three volumes,

Desperate Remedies

was met by middling-to-bad reviews, and the novel went out of print until 1889, when it was re-published in an edition by Ward and Downey.

Desperate Remedies’ place within the context of Wessex is tenuous and it has changed over time. As the novel was originally written before Hardy had conceived of Wessex, the places in the 1871 Tinsley Brothers edition and the 1874 American edition from Henry

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2392 words

Citation: Spydell, Anna. "Desperate Remedies". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 April 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5633, accessed 23 November 2024.]

Thomas Hardy, Desperate Remedies

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