Tess of the D'Urbervilles Author:Thomas Hardy Because of its sexual frankness and indictment of Victorian hypocrisy, Hardy's novel was considered shocking when it was published in 1891. It is the tale of Tess Derbeyfield, a young country girl whose rape by Alec D'Urberville, a distant aristocratic relative, leads to pregnancy. Tess's baby dies, and she finds work as a dairymaid at a farm wh... more »ere no one knows her story. There she falls in love with and marries a young farmer named Angel Clare, but when Angel finds out about his wife's past, he is horrified, and deserts her. Tess meets Alec again -- now a reformed character who has become an itinerant preacher -- and lives with him as his wife. When Angel returns for her and finds her with Alec, he leaves her again -- and Tess, in despair, stabs Alec -- the cause of all her woes -- and kills him. She and Angel are reunited, but only briefly: Tess is taken into custody and will be tried for murder and hanged. The cynical and sophisticated Alec's seduction of a country girl, and the self-righteous Angel's destructive idealization of her, can be seen as symbols of the city's ruthless exploitation of the English countryside -- a common theme in Hardy's fiction.« less
This novel, although classic, did not move me as many other classics do. Several factors contributed to this, including a violation by a blood relative at the beginning of the novel, overly descriptive language describing the land, and the utter helplessness of the heroine. She is completely unable to stand up for herself. A reader will roll his or her eyes many times at Tess's attempt at self-futility, most pointedly during the scene where her husband reacts to her "secret." Some say her final act in this book makes up for the weakness she exhibits throughout, but for me, I didn't think so. Only recommended if you've got a misogynistic streak.
Although the experts deem this to be one of Hardys best novels, I found it to be a slow-moving soap opera: a triangular variation of the Hester Prynne-Rev. Dimmesdale saga, but much longer. In this, our heroine, Tess, seduced by a false dUrberville finally marries a Mr. Claire, the third son of a stalwart preacher, only to be immediately spurned by her new husband. What ensues are the trials and tribulations that she faces after being abandoned. It seems that what deserves forgiveness in the gander holds not for the goose. All this ends abruptly and unexpectedly in the conclusion. Hardy forces the readers imagination early in the story and again throughout; one must read between the lines and fill in the details. Thus, amplification of the seduction is largely in the mind of the reader, as are the fates of Tess and Mr. Claire at the conclusion.
A beautifully written allegorical insight into changing English mores at a time of great social and economic upheaval. The gross injustice of it through contemporary eyes kept me both angry and intrigued.
The text is very good, I have not finished the book yet because of lack of time. What I find most irritating about the book is the non margin on inner side of the pages. Almost impossible to read, a constant struggle to keep the book opened wide enough to read. How did the publishers ever get away with being so stingy with paper?
Although it is your typical classics downer, it is beautifully written and show how, unfortunately, some attitudes about and by women and men have not changed.