Thomas Hardy made a reputation in more than one genre and in more than one period, and he has constantly given rise to widely differing critical responses. This study ranges in time from Hardy's response to Romanticism through to an examination of his diverse fortunes at the hands of critics from Hardy's own time to the present day. His achievement is examined through his various forms - his letters, autobiography, novels, poems and personal writings - and set in the context of the work of those whom he knew or admired. Timothy Hands surveys Hardy's ideas, his views on society and his remarkable knowledge of the contemporary arts. The book offers to specialist, student and general reader alike an authoritative yet readable guide through the biographical, literary and critical mazes surrounding Hardy's life and work.