The poem, which is a dialogue between a ruined woman and her un-ruined friend, questions just what exactly it means for a woman to be ruined. One's pretty lively when ruined," said she.

— — "You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, And now you've gay bracelets and bright feathers three!" By Thomas Hardy And although we don’t tend to associate Hardy with satirical writing, one of his later volumes of poetry was called Satires of Circumstance – combining the ironic genre of satire with one of Hardy’s favourite words. And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?" Melia simply responds that such is the way ruined women dress.— “Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleakThe speaker continues to point out all the changes that have happened to Melia, including that instead of rough looking hands, she was wearing lady’s gloves.
She has always enjoyed writing, reading, and analysing literature.It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. — "At home in the barton you said thee' and thou,' And thik oon,' and theäs oon,' and t'other'; but now "Some polish is gained with one's ruin," said she. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia.Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest and greatest poetry updates.What's your thoughts? — "Yes: that's how we dress when we're ruined," said she. Thomas Hardy has a unique way of standing up for women, such as in this poem The speaker then gives the readers more insight into Melia’s past by a continuance of exclamations concerning Melia’s transformation from wearing “tatters, without shoes or socks” to wearing “gay bracelets and bright feathers”. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. One of the most renowned poets and novelists in English literary history, Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in the English village of Higher Bockhampton in the county of Dorset. "The Ruined Maid" is one of his most famous discussions of women... Man and the Natural World Even though "The Ruined Maid" is a poem about two women who bump into each other in town, there are plenty of little references to the country. She has no more respect and probably little to no chance of marriage. — "Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak And you'd sigh, and you'd sock; but at present you seem "True. "The Ruined Maid" is a satirical poem by Thomas Hardy.

He died in 1928 at Max Gate, a house he built for himself and his... You ain't ruined," said she. Thomas Hardy’s dry wit and penchant for social critique are at the heart of his poem “The Ruined Maid,” which takes the form of a dialogue between two young women, former fellow farm workers, meeting after a period of years.

Join the conversation by commenting About “The Ruined Maid” The poem comprises six stanzas of four lines each, known as quatrains .

And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!" — Cannot quite expect that. It was written in 1866 but first published, in a slightly bowdlerized form, in Poems of the Past and the Present.
"The Ruined Maid," written in 1866 but not published until 1901, is one of Hardy's most sophisticated critiques of Victorian sexuality. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Melia replies, O didnt you know Id been ruined?

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Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? In the introductory stanza the first speaker addresses Melia by inquiring, at once, about her fair garments and such prosperi-ty. ‘The Ruined Maid’, one of his earliest and best-known poems, is a rare example of Thomas Hardy’s satirical verse.

Thank you! Melia replies that women who are ruined never do work.Now that the speaker has commented on Melia’s dress and physical features, he or she (we do not yet know whether it is a friend or a lover addressing Melia) comments on Melia’s Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox.We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriouslyAllisa graduated with a degree in Secondary Education and English and taught World Literature and Composition at the high school level. The Ruined Maid By Thomas Hardy About this Poet One of the most renowned poets and novelists in English literary history, Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in the English village of Higher Bockhampton in the county of Dorset. Hardy’s poem, The Ruined Maid uses the voice of a woman who has been “ruined” in the eyes of society.