Only one of Thomas Hardy’s novels focuses on the idea of military masculinity - The Trumpet-Major (1880). Invariably dismissed by critics both in Hardy’s time and today as his weakest novel, Richard Nemesvari goes so far as to liken The Trumpet-Major to “a Jane Austen novel run slightly out of control” (p. 10). However, Hardy’s research into the military during the reign of George III in preparation for this novel was extensive. He compiled a notebook of more than one hundred and twenty pages, containing detailed descriptions of the movements of the Royal Family when they visited Weymouth between 1783 and 1807 – the years comprising the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, and the concomitant threat of invasion. The notebook records army exercises and deployments during this period, regulations regarding dress code, hair styles...
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Citation: Hayes, Tracy. "The Trumpet Major". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 December 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7990, accessed 09 June 2026.]
