Why Thomas Hardy?

For many years, starting in high school, I was very drawn to the harsh stories and stark landscapes found in the novels of Thomas Hardy. I read and re-read "Far From the Madding Crowd," "The Return of the Native," "Jude the Obscure," and, especially, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." What was it about these gloomy novels that so appealed to me? Why would a reader like me with a basically sunny disposition be so attracted to these wonderfully plotted and written but -- let's face it -- depressing stories? Well, there is that Anglophile side of me. And the world of Wessex is a fascinating one. And Hardy's characters are unforgettable. There is also Hardy's deep understanding of the lives of country people, and his unusual (for the time) understanding of women's restricted lives. The attraction was also, probably most of all, a part of my adolescent need to be acquainted with the "dark side," the side I wrote about on 9/18/10 in my post "The Luxuriantly Dark and Moody Thoughts of Youth." Perhaps it feels safe to be drawn to that dark side when one is young and feels -- despite various adolescent troubles -- protected, and even -- with the imperviousness of youth -- invincible? (I realize that adolescence is not so protected for all youth, and know that I am fortunate to have had a secure, safe, and well-loved --albeit occasionally moody -- childhood and adolescence.) Of course accessing the "dark side" through classic literature is hardly walking on the wild side! But emotionally it fulfilled some need. I haven't read any Hardy for many years now, but there is a part of me that is still mysteriously connected to the worlds he created in his novels.