. Thomas Hardy is insane, and in that book he does things that are very counter to what I believe is good dramatic writing. There’s a lot of random coincidence, and his whole point in that book is that the universe will not help you in any way. There’s a key moment in the book where someone is trying to deliver a message that is very important, and out of nowhere, a bull escapes from a pen, rambling down the street, and gores the guy who’s delivering the message. [Laughs.] It’s completely random and coincidental, which isn’t very strong writing, I don’t think, but it’s kind of funny when everything that can go wrong goes wrong.
Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation) summing up the joys of reading Thomas Hardy in 2011. I love Hardy (especially The Mayor of Casterbridge, which Schur is discussing up there), and I am also loving this extended conversation about my favorite show on TV.
