Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Illustrated Edition)

Author: (English) Hardy
Publisher:
Publication Date: Not available
Features: Tess's tragedy and its social and moral roots primarily stem from the rigid concept of female chastity in a male-dominated society. When defining Tess's thoughts and actions, Hardy consistently opposes this notion, directing his critique directly at the society and the Christian Church that uphold it. According to's conventions, after Tess loses her innocence, the best course of action would be to either passively accept her role as Aleck Durbeyfield's mistress or to find ways to legitimize their relationship. However, Tess insists on being a "fallen woman" rather than entering a loveless union. On her second escape from Aleck Durbeyfield, on the road from Pure Ridge back to her hometown, she sees religious commandments written in blood-red letters: "Do not commit (adultery)." She blurts out, "Pah, I don't believe God ever said such a thing." From this moment until she privately baptizes her illegitimate child, Tess begins to doubt's conventions and the Church in her thoughts, though she still believes in God and hell and has not completely shaken off religious superstition. Subsequently, the "mired" Tess lives in isolation, silently enduring physical and emotional pain, and her rebellious thoughts grow deeper. This is the result of her long struggle against these conventions and their impact on her. By the time Tess leaves home for the second time, falls in love with Angel Clare, and resolves to marry him, until she faces countless trials, finally kills Aleck Durbeyfield with her own hands and flees with Angel Clare, the entire process clearly shows that Tess's attitude toward's conventions evolves from doubt to denial, then to resistance, and ultimately pays a high price with her young life. Hardy not only fights against's conventions through Tess's thoughts and actions but also sometimes takes the lead, hurling his own javelins. In the eyes of, Tess has practically lost all credibility after losing her innocence. However, in Hardy's portrayal, "her appearance is beautiful and striking; her soul is that of a woman who, after two years of such turbulent experiences, has not been corrupted or." If we place such remarks in the Victorian era a hundred years ago, we cannot help but admire the "avant-garde" nature of Hardy's thoughts. Precisely because he infused such ideas into the character of Tess during his portrayal, the character gains richer depth and deeper social critique. In his later work, Jude the Obscure, Hardy further develops these thoughts and insights.