Includes bibliographical references and index. - Hardy's poetry: a general survey / Trevor Johnson -- The mayor of Casterbridge: the fate of Michael Henchard's character / Simon Gatrell -- "Moments of vision": postmodernising Tess of the d'Urbervilles; or, Tess of the d'Urbervilles faithfully presented by Peter Widdowson / Peter Widdowson -- The "modernity" of Hardy's Jude the obscure / Robert Schweik -- How to be an old poet: the examples of Hardy and Yeats / Samuel Hynes -- From fascination to listlessness: Hardy's depiction of love / Michael Irwin -- Thomas Hardy's narrative art: the poems and short stories / Douglas Dunn -- Eight great Hardys / William Kerrigan