4b.5a - Rural Idyllis Flashcards
Who was Thomas Hardy?
He was an English author
Where did Hardy set all of his major novel?
In the south and southwest of England - Dorset
What did Hardy name the area he set his novels in?
Wessex
Why did Hardy name the area Wessex?
He named it after the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom that existed in this part of the country prior to the Norman Conquest
What does the perception of rural places depend upon?
It depends on who you are and your intended perceptions and your intended use of living space
Why do tourists go to Dorset?
Tourists are drawn to Dorset because of the Wessex novels
Give other reasons as to why tourists who are unaware of the Hardy connection choose to visit Dorset?
The coastline, rolling chalk downland, desolate heaths, prosperous agriculture and small historic towns
What does the attitude to rural living depend upon?
A person’s attitude depends on who you are, your life cycle stage and your place preference
What are the 2 types of accessible rural areas?
1) Rural areas that lie within commuting reach of towns
2) and those rural areas that are beyond that reach but are accessible from urban areas for recreation, leisure and retirement (day tripper access)
According to the 2011 census, how many people live in rural areas in the England?
19.8 million people live in rural areas and 98% of these live in accessible rural places
Rural places are the immediate beneficiaries of which 2 processes?
Suburbanisation and decentralisation
Why might people choose to leave urban areas?
High housing costs and poor environmental quality
What have Hardy’s novels been recognised as?
Wessex novels have been recognised as the epitome of the vanishing English ‘rural heartland’
What was the ‘rural heartland’ threatened by?
Urbanisation and the new technologies of the agricultural revolution
What were Hardy’s descriptions of the countryside based on?
His descriptions were based on the observations that Hardy made as he cycled around Dorset and other adjacent counties
