An interesting collection of Hardy's poems published in 1914. It is a classic example of poetic language and melodious phrases. It reflects his views on British colonialism and current events of that age.

That ache for you, born long ago, Throbs on; I never could outgrow it. What a revenge, did you but know it! But that, thank God, you do not know.Satires of Circumstance, Lyrics and Reveries, with Miscellaneous Pieces was published in 1914. The volume displays Hardy's mastery of poetic language and melodious phrases, as well as his views on British colonialism.

"Satires of Circumstance: Lyrics & Reveries with Miscellaneous Pieces" by Thomas Hardy is a poetic collection that unveils the Victorian novelist's lyrical prowess and his contemplative exploration of the human condition. Published in the early 20th century, this anthology showcases Hardy's versatility as a writer, transitioning from prose fiction to the realms of verse with poetic finesse. At the heart of this collection are the "Satires of Circumstance," a series of poems that delve into the complexities of life, love, and the inexorable influence of external forces. Hardy's lyricism is likely marked by a nuanced understanding of the inherent ironies and contradictions that shape human existence. The poems may embody a satirical lens, offering readers a reflective commentary on the quirks of fate and the interplay of societal norms. Intertwined with the satirical elements are Hardy's "Lyrics & Reveries," which likely delve into the realm of personal reflections and introspections. These pieces may showcase the poet's keen observations of nature, his contemplation of love's joys and sorrows, and his musings on the transient nature of time.

As nineteenth-century realism became more and more intrepid in its pursuit of describing and depicting everyday life, it blurred irrevocably into the caustic and severe mode of literature better named satire. Realism's task of portraying the human became indistinguishable from satire's directive to castigate the human. Introducing an entirely new way of thinking about realism and the Victorian novel, Aaron Matz refers to the fusion of realism and satire as 'satirical realism': it is a mode in which our shared folly and error are so entrenched in everyday life, and so unchanging, that they need no embellishment when rendered in fiction. Focusing on the novels of Eliot, Hardy, Gissing, and Conrad, and the theater of Ibsen, Matz argues that it was the transformation of Victorian realism into satire that granted it immense moral authority, but that led ultimately to its demise.

The Ironic Temper and the Comic Imagination examines and illuminates the role which the ironic temper plays in the creation of complex literary comedy. The book focuses on ironic comedy, though not of the kind that is characterized by the surprises and shocks, the incongruities and reversals, of circumstantial irony. Circumstantial—or situational—irony cannot stand alone; it serves, for example, the aggressive functions of satire, or the irrational impulses of farce, or the benevolent, whimsical, or pain-defeating energies of humor.

In Thomas Hardy: Selected Poems Tim Armstrong brings together over 180 poems in the first comprehensively annotated selection of Hardy’s poetry. Unlike most previous selections, this edition preserves the shape of the poet’s career by presenting the poems in the order in which they appeared in the Collected Poems of 1930, rather than re-ordering them thematically. Head notes to each poem give the reader information about its composition, publication, sources and metrical scheme; on-the-page notes list significant variants in Hardy’s manuscripts, point out literary and other allusions, and give explanatory glosses. An appendix contains a selection of relevant passages from Hardy’s notebooks, letters, and autobiography; and a bibliography suggests further reading. Tim Armstrong’s critical Introduction discusses Hardy’s career, his poetics, his use of memory and allusion and examines his position in the context of Victorian debates on aesthetics and belief. The generous selection of poems includes many lesser-known poems as well as those which have received most critical commentary, and the important elegiac sequence ‘Poems of 1912-13’ is included in its entirety.

This book reads Hardy's poetry of the rural as deeply rooted in the historical tradition of the pastoral mode even as it complicates and extends it. It shows that in addition to reinstating the original tensions of classical pastoral, Hardy dramatizes a heightened awareness of complex communities and the relations of class, labour, and gender.