‘Thomas Hardy’s tone remains strongly melancholic.’ Discuss.

Hardy’s poetry can often be seen as melancholic. His use of imagery, such as in ‘Neutral Tones’, appeals to the passing of the seasons and a deadness in the landscape to evoke a sense of sadness and melancholy. Meanwhile, in ‘Nobody Comes’, this melancholy is a more intimate and personal one, as Hardy’s speaker reflects on his own sense of nostalgia and alienation in a world of technological advancement. Yet in this nostalgia, Hardy is able to recover a sense of joy, one that is considered in ‘The Darkling Thrush’ as poetry and art becomes an escape from melancholy.