This book reads the highly descriptive impressionist writings of Hardy and Conrad together in the light of a shared attention to sight and sound. With a focus on nature and the environment, Hugh Epstein analyses thirteen of these powerful works in the historical company of contemporary discussions in Victorian science. He re-frames their 'Victorian' and 'Modernist' labels to show how vivid and urgent these novels are for the modern reader.This book reads the highly descriptive impressionist writings of Hardy and Conrad together in the light of a shared attention to sight and sound. With a focus on nature and the environment, Hugh Epstein analyses thirteen of these powerful works in the historical company of contemporary discussions in Victorian science. He re-frames their 'Victorian' and 'Modernist' labels to show how vivid and urgent these novels are for the modern reader.