Webb’s Shropshire and Hardy’s Wessex: Literary and Geographical Influences on the Early Novels of Mary Webb
Trevor Hill
Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w OlsztynieAbstract
Mary Webb, whose novels and poetry portray her native county of Shropshire, was a keen reader of Thomas Hardy. Several biographers and scholars – including Gladys Mary Coles, Andrew Radford and Carol Siegel – have noted Hardy’s influence in her work. However, while these authors have explored aspects such as sexual politics, classical myth, and biographical details, they have focussed less upon Webb’s use and description of landscape, as well as Shropshire mythology and folklore. This article will build upon a small amount of research by these scholars, and not only examine the influence of Hardy’s works in Webb’s own writing but also note how she developed her own style stimulated by Hardian influence. It can be assumed that Webb’s use of local legends, vernacular, and landscape mirrors, to some extent, Hardy’s aesthetic depiction of his native Wessex. Additionally, her use of legend and folk beliefs creates a kind of Gothic rendering of a fictional Shropshire, akin to some of Hardy’s portrayals of Wessex. This article examines Webb’s life and literary influences – particularly Hardy, to whom she dedicated her fourth novel – and, following Coles, considers how her time spent living in the West Country, influenced the creation of her first novel.
Keywords:
The West Country, Shropshire, Gothic depiction, use of local legends, Webb’s styleReferences
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Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie
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