Thomas Hardy

The Poetical Works of Thomas Hardy, Vol. 2, the Dynasts

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) regarded himself primarily as a poet, but was best known for his novels, Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd, The Dynasts is a dramatic poem about the war with Napoleon, on a similar scale to War and Peace, which is impossible to present on stage due to its elaborate battle-scenes. Hardy regarded The Dynasts as his magnum opus, but it is not critically well-regarded. However, it pioneered techniques that characterize literary Modernism and remains of interest to those studying Hardy's novels.