托马斯?哈代致玛丽?哈代
托马斯?哈代（1840—1928），英国小说家、诗人,1840年6月2日生于英国西南部的一个小村庄。他的父亲是石匠，但爱好音乐。父母都重视对哈代的文化教育。1856年，哈代离开学校，给一名建筑师当学徒。1862年前往伦敦，任建筑绘图员，并在伦敦大学进修语言，开始文学创作。哈代的文学生涯开始于诗歌，后因无缘发表，改而从事小说创作，他的第四部小说《远离尘嚣》（1874）让他一举成名。从此，他放弃建筑行业，致力于小说创作。哈代一生共发表了近20部长篇小说，其中最著名的当推《德伯家的苔丝》《无名的裘德》《还乡》和《卡斯特桥市长》。另有八部诗集，共918首。此外，还有许多以“威塞克斯故事”为总名的中短篇小说，以及长篇史诗剧《列王》。 哈代的作品反映了资本主义侵入英国农村城镇后所引起的社会经济、政治、道德、风俗等方面的深刻变化以及人民（尤其是妇女）的悲惨命运。他的作品承上启下，既继承了英国批判现实主义的优秀传统，也为20世纪的英国文学开拓了道路。
亲爱的玛丽：
当我正在想着你可能已经完全放弃了写信的时候，却收到你的来信。你肯定是想尽可能地拖到圣诞节才来信。
我很高兴你又一次回到了牛津，那肯定是一个充满乐趣的地方，我会试着找个时间到那里去。你没有权利说自己与艺术无缘，从某种程度上来说，每个人都是艺术家。教授与业余爱好者之间仅有的区别就是：前者必须（常常是不情愿的）把艺术作为自己赚取面包与奶酪的工具——因此他的讲授对别人而言是一种快乐，对自己而言却是一种烦恼。
关于萨克雷，你肯定读过他写的一些东西，他被认为是那个时代最伟大的小说家——他把最杰出的小说创作当成对现实生活完美而真实的再现——毫无疑问，这是一个值得借鉴的正确观点。因为他的小说艺术性和真理性的价值是如此之高，人们对它们只有顶礼膜拜，而不适合年轻人阅读——如果从年轻人率直的个性方面考虑的话。人们说萨克雷先生远远描绘不出一个完美的女人或男人出来——如果认为小说是为了提供教导的话，这句话是非常错误的；相反，如果认为小说仅仅是图画书的话，那就另当别论了。《名利场》就被人们认为是萨克雷写得最好的一部小说。
我有望在圣诞节之后的周二或周三回家，当然会在那里找到你，我们必须好好地玩一玩——
永远爱你的汤姆
1863年12月19日
Thomas Hardy
To
Dec. 19,1863
My dear Mary,
I was beginning to think you had given up writing altogether when your letter came. Certainly try to get as long a time as you can Christmas.
I am gComd you have been to Oxford again. It must be a jolly pComce. I shall try to get down there some time or other. You have no right to say that you are not connected with art. Everybody is, to a certain extent; the only difference between a professor and an amateur being that the former has the (often disagreeable) necessity of making it his means of earning bread and cheese — and thus often rendering what is a pleasure to other people a “bore” to himself.
About Thackeray， you must read something of his. He is considered to be the greatest novelist of the day—looking at novel writing of the highest kind as a perfect and truthful representation of actual life—which is no doubt the proper view to take. Hence, because his novels stand so high as works of Art or Truth, they often have anything but an elevating tendency, and on this account are particuComrly unfitted for young people—from their very truthfulness. People say that it is beyond Mr. Thackeray to paint a perfect man or woman—a great fault if novels are intended to instruct, but just the opposite if they are to be considered merely as Pictures. Vanity Fair is considered one of his best.
I expect to go home about Tuesday or Wednesday after Christmas and shall then find you there of course—We must have a “bit of a Comrk”—
Ever affectionately
TomT/x/t小.说。天.堂