For more than thirty years, books and essays on Thomas Hardy have been at the forefront of developments in academic literary studies. This collection brings together exciting new readings of Hardy's work by established and emerging critics which also reflect on continuities and changes in contemporary literary studies. Covering a wide range of topics and approaches, "Thomas Hardy and Contemporary Literary Studies" shows how Hardy's writing continues to provoke its readers to re-examine important issues in literary criticism and critical and cultural theory. Contributors include Terry Eagleton and J. Hillis Miller.