Hardy on Video

BOOK REVIEWS attempts at literature faü, he believes he wül have either to fall back on architecture or to try to find employment as a publisher's hack. That such an exceptionally Ultimate and revealing notebook of Hardy's doubts, aspirations, and, above aU, dogged efforts to make himsetf a literary man somehow survived the Max Gate fires at all is a wonder. Fortunately for us, it was given by Florence EmUy Hardy to Richard Little Purdy, who, Ui turn, left it upon his death to become part of the extraordinary collection of Hardiana he helped create in the Beinecke Library of Yale University. Dalziel and MUlgate have dedicated their volume to his achievement as a scholar, editor, and collector: this fine exemplar of meticulous editing makes it an appropriate memorial to a scholar whose work exhibited that combination of wide-ranging scholarship and scrupulous care for detaU they have lavished on it. Robert Schweik ______________ SUNYatFredonia Hardy on Video Thomas Hardy—Man of Wessex. VHS tape, 40 minutes. Script and commentary by Gerald Pitman. Filmed and produced by Ray Cooper and Jonathan Eckardt. A Wessex Video Production. $39.95/£21.00 Wessex-America, P.O. Box 55742, Indianapolis, IN 46205/ Wessex Video Services, The Steps, Bridge St., Sturminster Newton Dorset DTl IBZ ACCURATELY DESCRIBED by the cover notes as "an introduction to Thomas Hardy the novelist and poet," this original production achieves more than that. Its high quaUty results from synergism: the interplay of visual and auditory images, the skillful interweaving of references to Hardy's IUe and works, and the musical counterpoint offered by folk music arranged and performed by Tranters Folly," a Dorset folk ensemble. It succeeds in giving one an accurate impression of how Wessex IUe and scenes inspired Hardy throughout his creative IUe. The introduction sets the admiring and nostalgic tone and the approach —showing the close interrelationship between Wessex scenes and Hardy's IUe and works—of this pictorial essay. Over a succession of colorful, realistic Dorset scenes, Gerald Pitman comments on the county's rich heritage of land and sea, rivers, buUdings, history, traditions and ancient crafts. All these are parts of the cultural environment which shaped and colored Hardy's writings throughout his complex literary career. Thus as we read Hardy and, as many do, become 89 ELT 38: 1 1995 pUgrims to the modern counterpart of Hardy's "dream country," readers come to see Wessex through his eyes. A major achievement of this production is that it wül enhance this capacity m aU but the most experienced of Hardy pUgrims. The technical quality of all aspects of the production is high. The video quality is excellent, with true "saturated" color, good detaU and a sensitive use of closeups. The audio quality is also good, with sufficient presence afforded both the narrator and, at key places, the folk music which was so integral a part of Hardy's famUy and social experiences. The childhood portion is one of the richest and most cohesive of the tape. It is of course a joy to walk to Hardy's birthplace and then to go on to Stinsford parish church with its associations with Hardy and his famUy. The next best thing to a real walk is viewing these sections of this production. These centers of Hardy interest are supplemented by many other scenes around Higher Bockhampton. On such "walks," of course, we are accompanied by an ideal tour guide Ui Pitman thanks to his deep awareness of the historical associations of a place and paraUels between it and a certain scene Ui a poem or novel. The tape achieves rare audio-visual counterpouitmg Ui the brief section devoted to the prominence of music Ui Hardy's chUdhood. We are shown Hardy's restored violin and pages from one of the Hardy famUy music books whUe Pitman explains Hardy's varied and passionate musical interests to the accompanünent of Tranters Folly performing some of this music. I only regret that our host never appears on screen: this would have provided human interest as weU as variation m the occasional long sequence of landscape scenes. Another valuable aspect of the tape concerns Hardy...