Happy Birthday, Thomas Hardy!

Today is the birthday of Thomas Hardy. My earliest memory of Thomas Hardy comes from undergraduate school, when my favorite English professor told us that most people didn't write well across genres, but Thomas Hardy was one of the few who could pull it off.

Actually, that's not true. I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles in high school, after the movie Tess came out. I didn't see the movie, but it made me aware of Hardy. I remember thinking that the book was much more interesting than most of the 19th century novels that made it onto college prep reading lists.

I continue to think about the comment of my undergrad professor, especially now, when I've seen so many artists cross all sorts of genres. I disagreed with her then, and I still disagree. I think I do.