This study of Hardy's literary language in both fiction and poetry, attempts to show how it reflects aspects of his life and his personal beliefs. The literary effect of his distinctive phraseology and sentence-structure is examplified and assessed. Particular attention is given to his representation of speech, including his use of dialect. Verse techniques are examined and related to Hardy's ear for natural sounds and his gift of depicting them by description and analogy. The emphasis throughout is on the way in which the reader's pleasure can be increased by awareness of how Hardy used English as a literary medium.