The Voice

Question 1

The Voice - Emma’s death

Answer 1

Hardy’s first wife, Emma Gifford, died suddenly in 1912, after years of estrangement. Her death deeply affected him, leading to a surge of grief-stricken poetry, including The Voice.

Despite their strained marriage, Hardy was overwhelmed by guilt and nostalgia, writing over 40 poems about her between 1912-1913.

He traveled back to St. Juliot in Cornwall, where they first met, revisiting places tied to their courtship—this act of remembering strongly influences The Voice.

Question 2

The Voice - 20th century spiritualism

Answer 2

• Fears of war and uncertainty meanth Britain saw a rise in spiritualism, as many sought to reconnect with the dead—a theme reflected in The Voice.
• Figures like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publicly supported spiritualism, believing in communication with lost loved ones. While Hardy was agnostic, his poetry often explores the idea of the dead lingering in memory.
• Advances in technology (such as the phonograph, which captured voices) created new ways to preserve voices beyond death, possibly influencing Hardy’s idea of hearing Emma’s “call to me”.

Question 3

The Voice - Contemporaries.

Answer 3

• Wordsworth’s “Lucy” poems (1799-1807) explore the idea of a lost love still present in nature, much like Hardy’s vision of Emma.
• Shelley’s “When the Lamp Is Shattered” (1824) similarly depicts the fleeting nature of love and the pain of remembering the dead.
• Unlike the Romantics, however, Hardy’s vision is bleaker—while they often found comfort in nature, Hardy presents it as indifferent, reinforcing his pessimistic worldview.