17.1.5
Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Key Quotes: Neutral Tones
Key Quotes: Neutral Tones
Here are some examples of key quotes from Hardy's Neutral Tones:


‘The deadest thing’
‘The deadest thing’
- ‘The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing’.
- The narrator uses juxtaposition (a smile being 'the deadest thing') to show the incompatibility of the lovers.


‘Keen lessons...'
‘Keen lessons...'
- ‘Keen lessons that love deceives / And wring with wrong, have shaped to me / Your face’.
- Alliteration in ‘wring with wrong’ and assonance in the line ‘keen lessons that love deceives’ creates a bitter sneering tone, reflecting the narrator’s bitterness towards his past relationship.
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
17Recap: Main Quotes
17.1Recap: Main Quotes
17.1.1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
17.1.2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
17.1.3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
17.1.4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (
17.1.5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
17.1.6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
17.1.7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
17.1.8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
17.1.9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
17.1.10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
17.1.11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963)
17.1.12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
17.1.13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
17.1.14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
17.1.15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
Jump to other topics
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
17Recap: Main Quotes
17.1Recap: Main Quotes
17.1.1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
17.1.2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
17.1.3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
17.1.4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (
17.1.5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
17.1.6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
17.1.7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
17.1.8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
17.1.9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
17.1.10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
17.1.11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963)
17.1.12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
17.1.13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
17.1.14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
17.1.15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
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