WOMEN CHARACTERS IN THOMAS HARDY’S SHORT STORIES
The article focuses on the portrayal of women characters in short narratives by Thomas Hardy on the background of Victorian society. There are described stereotypes about Victorian women, their duties and qualities which are in contradiction with women characters by Hardy in most of his short stories. The work provides Hardy’s general approach towards women and the emphasis is placed on the description and analysis of particular stories with common features such as women courage and determination, the destruction and torture of men, and the role of social status.