In “Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver”, although it is a more comical story than “Old Mrs Chundle”, the fact that two women turn Tony down when he proposes marriage, suggests that Hardy wrote and saw things in a tragic light. I do not think that this situation is particularly tragic but sadder. Despite this it does suggest that Hardy did write and see things in a tragic light. This appears to be the only tragic or sad element as the rest of the story is quite comical and less serious.
On the other hand in “Old Mrs Chundle” the whole story is quite tragic. Right at the beginning of the story the curate asks Mrs Chundle for some food and she agrees to give him a meal. However, when they sit down to eat the meal, she will not sit at the table with him. Instead, sits at a bench, saying, “Oh faith, I don’t want to eat with my betters”. This implies that she does not think much of herself – even to the point that she does not think she is good enough to sit at the same table as the curate. This suggests that Hardy wrote and saw things in a more tragic light. Again I do not think that this is very tragic but like the situation in “Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver” it is sadder.
Another sad situation is when Mrs Chundle is talking to the curate, he asks her where a road right near to her house leads to but she does not know. So he thinks that she has not lived here very long when in fact she has lived there for nearly thirty-five years. She then goes on to say that she only ever goes to two places each year. This again is not particularly tragic, but sadder, as it implies that Mrs Chundle is not very sociable, she does not go out very much and she is quite lonely. This helps in suggesting that Hardy did write in a more tragic light as he could of written Mrs Chundle as a sociable woman who goes out a lot, but instead he wrote her as a lonely woman who does not go out very much.
At the end of “Old Mrs Chundle” she dies. This is the most tragic element to both stories. This situation is particularly tragic not sad. The irony that is present in both stories is brought into the story after Mrs Chundle dies. As, after this happens, the curate finds out that she has left everything to him in her will! This adds to the tragedy of the story as in the end, even after the curate decides he does not want to see Mrs Chundle anymore, she still leaves everything to him, which makes you feel even worse for her. So I do agree that Hardy was more inclined to see things in tragic light.
As well as Hardy’s use of comedy being shown in the situations the characters find themselves in, it is also shown in Hardy’s use of language. In both stories the majority of characters speak with a west-country accent: “Ay I’ve seen ye. Drawing the stones baint ye?” Although the audience that Hardy was writing for would not have found that un-usual or funny. We, as readers in the twenty first century, may find this un-usual and it can add to the humour and comedy of both stories. In “Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver”, when Tony ends up with the three women in the back of his wagon, Hardy uses dialect like “nunny-watch” and “ticklish business” to describe what is going on, this brings out the humour of the situation and adds to the overall comic effect.
The comedy is also conveyed in the mannerisms of the characters. For example in “Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver” when Tony asks his fiancé to hide in the back of his wagon under a canvas sheet, she says “Certainly, dearest Tony” as if this is a perfectly normal request. The fact that all three women do as Tony says; he seems to have a hold over all three of them, is quite amusing as he tells each woman a different lie and they all believe what he says. In the end Tony ends up with two women hiding in the back of his wagon. The mental image, which is conjured up, is very amusing and adds to the overall comedy of the story.
The comedy is also conveyed in the way that the narrator uses language. Especially some of the phrases that the narrator uses adds to the humour of the story. Phrases such as in “Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver”. At the end of the story when Tony marries the woman he was supposed to marry in the first place, the narrator says, “Everybody in Longpuddle was there, almost”. This is a comical line as it refers back to an earlier comical situation that makes us, the readers; laugh at the memory of it. In this story there does not seem to be any tragic elements conveyed in what the characters and narrator say, as it is a more light-hearted and humorous story.
On the other hand in “Old Mrs Chundle” the characters and the narrators use of language conveys the more tragic elements of the story. At one point during the story the curate finds out that Mrs Chundle lied to him about going to church. He says: “A wicked old woman. What can she think of herself for such deception!” This is quite a harsh and mean thing to say as Hardy has written the character Mrs Chundle in a more tragic light, as someone who appears not to have many friends and this could be the reason why. This conveys the sad or tragic feel to the story.
The tragedy of the story of “Old Mrs Chundle” is also, like ”Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver” conveyed in the mannerisms of the characters. Towards the end of the story the curate puts off visiting Mrs Chundle and takes down the special equipment in the church for her to hear with. This suggests that the curate is mainly thinking of himself and trying to discourage Mrs Chundle from attending his church. Because Hardy was writing in a more tragic light this mannerism of the curate brings out the more tragic side to the story.
After looking at both stories, and after looking at the comical and tragic situations and at the language used to convey the comical and tragic elements to the stories. I have come to the conclusion that I agree partly with the statement: “Although he could write hilarious comedy, Hardy was more inclined to see things in a tragic light”. As I do not think that Hardy could write hilarious comedy, because, as a reader in the twenty first century, I do not find these stories “hilarious” however I do agree that he was “more inclined to see things in a tragic light”. As although both stories are comical they both, especially “Old Mrs Chundle”, have tragic elements to them.
