Thomas Hardy was heavily influenced by romantic poetry and as we know romanticism advocated simplicity and glorified rustic life and common subjects and therefore, <em>Hardy followed the realist tradition of George Eliot and presented the 'grim outlook of the late Victorian era'. He was highly critical of the society in the Victorian age as he was much concerned about the plunging status of rural folk in England. </em>Thus, his poetry reflects the grim outlook which was the outcome of the brutal wars that proposed a pessimistic atmosphere. Therefore, <u>option C</u> is the answer.
