Anti-Christianity In Thomas Hardy’s Poetry

The purpose of the present thesis is to explore Thomas Hardy’s (1840-1928) anti-Christianity in his poetry. Hardy expresses his religious thought in his whole poetry creation, and his opposition to Christianity is clearly showed. He shows his anti-Christianity in his different kinds of poems.This thesis mainly consists of an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The introductory part includes a brief introduction of Hardy’s eight poetry collections, a literature review of pertinent studies in the West and China, the significance, approach and structure of this thesis. The body part proves his anti-Christianity from three aspects-his opposition to three Christian dogmas.Chapter One analyzes Hardy’s poetry about God, in which Hardy searches for Christian God. Hardy writes many poems about Christian God, but God in his poems is much different from the traditional God. In "God’s Funeral," he denies the personal God who is omnipotent, transcendent and benevolent. He exposits that it is man who creates God, not God who creates man, and then he holds a funeral for God. Moreover, in "Nature’s Questioning" and "To Outer Nature," he observes that everything in nature exists and develops according to the law of evolution, and God’s Creation is only a falsehood.Chapter Two discusses Hardy’s attitude towards death in his poetry about death. He repeatedly exposes the impossibility of resurrection of the dead claimed by Christianity. In "Transformation," the dead men do not resurrect and go to heaven but live as another form. He does not pursue the immortal soul but thinks that soul survives death is only man’s hope and dream in "I Look into My Glass," and death is the ultimate destination in "When Dead."Chapter Three is to analyze Hardy’s attitude towards salvation in his poetry of war. Hardy recognizes that war is evil, and the frequent outbreaks of wars suggest the alienation between men and Christianity. Christian morality has gradually begun to lose its impact on men. In "A Christmas Ghost-Story," the prospect of Christian salvation from the conclusiveness of Christ’s death is scorned. In "Channel Firing," God’s salvation is proved to be a falsehood and it is only men’s hope which can not come true.Hardy’s anti-Christianity, which is reflected in his rebuke on Christian doctrines, shows his anxiety about the problem of survival when humankind loses their faith. His intention is to pursue a way that man can escape from that misery.