Hardy's Friendship with Horace Moule Begins
Poet involved
What happened
Hardy met and began a profound friendship with Horace Moule, the son of the vicar of Fordington, Dorchester. Moule, a Cambridge-educated man eight years Hardy's senior, became his intellectual mentor and encouraged his studies in Latin and Greek.
Literary impact
Moule's mentorship was instrumental in Hardy's self-education, providing the classical knowledge that underpins much of his literary allusions and philosophical outlook. Moule's tragic suicide in 1873 was a devastating blow that haunted Hardy, and he commemorated his friend in poems such as 'Standing by the Mantelpiece (H.M.M., 1873)', infusing his work with a deep sense of loss and intellectual companionship.
Source: Hardy Chronology
