Hardy and Dorset Dialect

Thomas Hardy, a native of Dorset, masterfully incorporated the local dialect into his novels, using it to reveal character, emotion, and a vanishing rural culture, often contrasting it with Standard English. Hardy’s teacher and mentor, William Barnes, was a dialect champion, and had a major influence on Hardy throughout his life.

Hardy’s father and local “work-folk” spoke the dialect, giving him firsthand knowledge to infuse his characters with authentic speech, revealing their roots and emotions. Hardy used dialect shifts to show characters’ social standing or decline, such as Michael Henchard reverting to dialect when drinking heavily. The use of dialect in Hardy’s novels and poetry captures a lost way of life.

At this event, we explore Hardy’s rich “Wessex” world, focusing on its flavour and social implications rather than phonetic transcription, with a nod to poet William Barnes on his 225th birthday.