Hardy's geography: Wessex and the regional novel

Hardy's Geography reconsiders a familiar element in Hardy's novels: their use of place and, specifically, of Dorset.

Hardy said his Wessex was a 'partly real, partly dream-country'.

This study examines how reality and dream interact in his work.

Should we look for a real place corresponding to Casterbridge?

What is the relation between one person's feelings for a place and society's view of it.

Pite concludes that Hardy addresses these issues through a distinctive regional awareness.