The Sadness Beneath the Stars: Reading Hardy’s Great Novels



Overview

Step into the world of one of England's most celebrated authors as we explore four of Thomas Hardy’s great novels: The Return of the Native (1878), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891) and Jude the Obscure (1895).

These books chart the progression of Hardy’s thinking over the course of two decades, in matters that were at the heart of cultural discourse in his day and remain so today: matters like class, race, gender and religion.

Focusing on one novel each day, and using extracts as the basis for seminar discussion, we will learn about the historical and cultural context of each work, its critical reception on first publication, and how these books have been revisited and reinterpreted through subsequent generations, including in recent adaptations for stage and screen.

The course includes a field trip to Dorchester (the ‘Casterbridge’ of Hardy’s Wessex) to visit some of the sites associated with the novels we are discussing.

This course is part of the Inspiring Oxford summer school programme, held at Brasenose College.

Programme details

Daily schedule

After registration on Sunday afternoon, we invite you to a welcome meeting in the Amersi Lecture Theatre in New Quad, where you will meet your tutors. Join us in Deer Park afterwards for our opening drinks reception, followed by dinner in Brasenose’s historic dining hall (informal dress).

Seminars take place on weekday mornings. Most afternoons are free, allowing you time to explore Oxford, enjoy a variety of optional social events (see details below), or to sit back and relax in one of the college's atmospheric quads.

Your course culminates on Friday evening with a closing drinks reception and gala farewell dinner at which Certificates of Attendance are awarded. For this special occasion smart dress is encouraged (no requirement to wear dinner suits or gowns).

Social programme 

We warmly invite all Inspiring Oxford students to take part in our optional social programme, with all events provided at no additional cost. Events are likely to include:

  • Croquet on the quad
  • Chauffeured punting from Magdalen Bridge
  • Expert-led walking tours of Oxford
  • Optional visit to an Oxford Library or the Ashmolean Museum
  • River Thames afternoon cruise
  • Quiz night in the college bar
  • Scottish country dance evening (where you do the dancing!)

Seminars and field trip

Monday

The course will begin with a short introductory lecture about the life of Thomas Hardy, followed by a discussion of The Return of the Native (1878), the earliest of the four novels on the course. We will look at the importance of its setting, Egdon Heath, as a presence in the lives of its characters.

We will also consider some of its main themes, including the position of mankind in an indifferent universe, the role of chance in human affairs, and the tension between tradition and modernity. These are themes that echo through Hardy’s later work and will re-emerge in the books to be discussed later in the week.

Tuesday

Today, we turn our attention to The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886). The novel is subtitled 'The Life and Death of a Man of Character', and our discussion will focus on the character of Michael Henchard, his tragic flaws, and the inescapability of the past.

Wednesday

Our midweek seminars focus on Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891), probably Hardy’s best-known and most-loved novel, and certainly the one that has received the most stage and screen adaptations.

We will concentrate in particular on the theme of sexual double standards, and the historical significance of Hardy’s compassionate treatment of the 'fallen' woman.

Thursday

Today we take a full-day field trip to Dorchester, to visit some of the key settings of The Mayor of Casterbridge and other Wessex novels.

Friday

On our final day we focus on Hardy’s last novel, Jude the Obscure (1895), the critical response to which drove Hardy away from writing novels.

We find ourselves in Oxford, thinly disguised in the novel as 'Christminster'. Hardy said that the novel was concerned first with 'the labours of a poor student to get a University degree' and secondly with 'the tragic consequences of two bad marriages'.

Today we also consider what it was about this work that Victorian audiences found so profoundly shocking.

Certification

Certificate of Attendance

At the end of the course you will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Digital Certificate

You will also be issued with an official digital certificate of attendance. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download it. You will be able to share this on social media and add to your email signature if you wish to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee option 1 (single en suite accom and meals per person) £2708.00
Fee option 2 (single standard accom and meals per person) £2358.00
Fee option 3 (twin en suite accom and meals per person) £2518.00
Fee option 4 (no accom; incl lunch and dinner per person) £1938.00

Funding

Please note there are no sources of funding (scholarships, bursaries, etc) available for the Inspiring Oxford Summer School programme.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis

Included in the course fee:

  • Any included excursions (see programme details above) and the full optional social programme.
  • Breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), five weekday lunches, and dinners Sunday-Friday. If your course includes a full-day field trip, a packed lunch is normally provided.
  • Morning refreshments and the welcome and closing drinks receptions.

Participants attending multiple weeks

Residential participants staying at Brasenose College for consecutive weeks may arrange an additional Saturday night bed-and-breakfast between courses, available for an additional fee. Please  email inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk to arrange this.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking.
  • If submitting an enrolment form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date.

Please be aware that all payments (and refunds) made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Course change administration fee

Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Programme Administrator, up to 1 May 2026; however, in accordance with our terms and conditions for our open access courses, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.​

Cancellations and refunds

Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check the terms and conditions carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Dr Jeremy Newton - Tutor

Following a Masters degree at Oxford in 2013, Jeremy Newton completed his PhD in Nineteenth-Century Theatre and Culture at Birkbeck, University of London, in 2022. His thesis concerned the forgotten Victorian playwright Henry Arthur Jones (a contemporary and rival of Oscar Wilde, and a friend of Thomas Hardy), and offered a reappraisal of his importance in the history of English drama. Jeremy is a member of the Executive Committee of the Victorian Popular Fiction Association, and a regular speaker at conferences on Victorian theatre and culture. He was a keynote speaker at the Thomas Hardy Society conference in 2024, and his latest article, on Hardy’s relationship with the acting profession, is scheduled to appear in the Hardy Society Journal in 2026.

Teaching methods

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 16 people.

Teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Field trip

Application

Registration closes on 29 May 2026 at 2pm BST (UK time).

If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Online enrolment (single person accommodation and non-residential)

Single person accommodation and non-residential places should be booked online by clicking on the 'Book now' button at the top of this page. Please do not complete an enrolment form for these. 

If you have any trouble booking online, please contact the Programme Administrator by emailing inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Single bedroom options:

  • Single en suite: private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
  • Standard single: private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities (typically shared among four participants).

Enrolment form (multi-occupancy or accessible accommodation)

Twin bedrooms

Those requiring a twin en-suite room (for two people) should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked or requested online. Please note these rooms have limited availability. 

If requesting a twin room, each person should complete an enrolment form and name the other person who they wish to share a room with. 

Ground/lower floor accommodation

Brasenose rooms do not have lift access, and the higher rooms can be located up a few flights of stairs. If you need a room on a ground or lower floor please complete an enrolment form and indicate your requirements, or contact the Programme Administrator directly at inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible. 

Enrolment form

The enrolment form is an editable PDF and can be completed electronically, so you should not need to print and scan it. 

Completed forms should be sent:

  • by email to inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk, or

  • by post to Inspiring Oxford, Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

Level and demands

The Inspiring Oxford programme is aimed at non-specialists: no prior knowledge is required, and classes are pitched at an introductory level. Courses are designed for an international audience aged 18 and over.

There are no assessments for this course.

Accommodation

Residential options are outlined below.

Please see the 'application' section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you, including how to request a lower/ground floor room.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), five weekday lunches, and dinners Sunday-Friday. All meals included are served in Brasenose College's dining hall. If your course includes a full-day field trip, a packed lunch is normally provided.

Accommodation options at Brasenose

During your course, for an authentic Oxford University experience you can stay in typical student accommodation at Brasenose College, in the heart of the city in buildings overlooked by the iconic Radcliffe Camera. 

Please note that bedrooms are student rooms. They are simply and modestly-furnished and do not have air-conditioning. You can find out more about Brasenose and its facilities by visiting their website.

The following types of accommodation are available. 

  • Single en suite: private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
  • Twin en suite: shared between participants that apply to the programme together, with private bathroom facilities.
  • Standard single: private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities (typically shared among four participants).

Non-residential option

Prefer not to stay on site? We also offer places on a non-residential basis whereby participants can take classes and have lunch and dinner at Brasenose College, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere. Breakfast is not included.

Non-residential participants are warmly encouraged to take part in every aspect of the academic and social programme and enjoy the same access to Brasenose facilities as residential participants.

Participants attending multiple weeks

We welcome students who want to attend multiple Inspiring Oxford courses. Residential participants staying at Brasenose College for consecutive weeks may arrange an additional Saturday night bed-and-breakfast between courses, available for an additional fee. This option ensures a seamless and enjoyable stay in Oxford.

Accommodation before/after your course

We are unable to arrange accommodation at Brasenose College prior to or following your course. Please visit universityrooms.com if you require additional nights of bed and breakfast accommodation, and they may be able to assist.

Additionally, family or friends who are not enrolled in the programme cannot be accommodated in college. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support