The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Hardy

I do not always find myself in sympathy with the academic “lit. crit.” industry, despite (more cynically because of) my lifelong association with literature. So, how should I react to an academic companion to an author whose work I have since my schooldays admired and enjoyed? I feared the worst, but received a pleasant surprise: not only did I read through most of the book without any feelings of irritation, but for much of it I found myself encouraged to look anew at works I already know, and had my appreciation and understanding of them heightened.

The opening chapters, especially,...