, ▁and ▁the ▁two ▁are ▁quietly ▁married . ▁ ▁Title ▁Hard y ▁took ▁the ▁title ▁from ▁Thomas ▁Gray ' s ▁poem ▁" E leg y ▁Writ ten ▁in ▁a ▁Country ▁Church yard " ▁( 1 7 5 1 ): ▁ ▁" M adding " ▁here ▁means ▁" f ren z ied ". , ▁or , ▁actually , ▁" mad den ing ". ▁ ▁Luc asta ▁Miller ▁points ▁out ▁that ▁the ▁title ▁is ▁an ▁ir onic ▁literary ▁jo ke , ▁as ▁Gray ▁is ▁ide alis ing ▁no is eless ▁and ▁se quest ered ▁calm , ▁whereas ▁Hard y ▁" dis rupt s ▁the ▁id yll , ▁and ▁not ▁just ▁by ▁introdu cing ▁the ▁sound ▁and ▁f ury ▁of ▁an ▁extreme ▁plot ▁... ▁he ▁is ▁out ▁to ▁sub vert ▁his ▁readers ' ▁comp lac ency ". ▁ ▁Hard y ' s ▁W esse x ▁ ▁Thomas ▁Hard y ' s ▁W esse x ▁was ▁first ▁mentioned ▁in ▁Far ▁from ▁the ▁M adding ▁Crow d ; ▁describing ▁the ▁" part ly ▁real , ▁partly ▁dream - country " ▁that ▁un ifies ▁his ▁nov els ▁of ▁south west ▁England . ▁Far ▁from ▁the ▁M adding ▁Crow d ▁offers ▁in ▁am ple ▁measure ▁the ▁details ▁of ▁English ▁rural ▁life ▁that ▁Hard y ▁so ▁rel ished . ▁ ▁He ▁found ▁the ▁word ▁in ▁the ▁pages ▁of ▁early ▁English ▁history ▁as ▁a ▁design ation ▁for ▁an ▁ext inct , ▁pre - N orm an ▁con quest ▁kingdom , ▁the ▁W esse x ▁from ▁which ▁Alfred ▁the ▁Great ▁established ▁England .