Wessex is a fictional landscape or countryside created by Thomas Hardy. Many of his novels are set in this imaginary society. The name ‘Wessex’ he borrowed from the name of the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. The place has many similarities with Dorset, where he spent the majority of his adulthood. He was well acquainted with the local customs and location in this part of England. This part of England greatly influences Hardy’s writing. It leads to the creation of the fictional place Wessex, which has many similarities with South England. Wessex first appeared in his novel Far from the Madding Crowd.
Wessex is a rural countryside, where society and Nature are in harmony. In his novels, the Wessex, countryside has not felt the impact of the industrial revolution. Nature and Man still live in close proximity to each other. The life of Wessex controls, traditional farming, myth, and beliefs.
Many of Thomas Hardy’s novels are grouped under the category of The Wessex Tales. Wessex has a significant role in the formation of characters’ traits and behavior.
Wessex is a fictional countryside created by Thomas Hardy for the majority of his novel. It has similarities with the Dorset, the Southern part of England where he spent his adulthood. Therefore he had close proximity to the customs and practices of the Dorset. That is reflected in the creation of Wessex in his, The Wessex Tales.
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