Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...oblivious to the fact that Tess had been raped and were surprised to read that she had a baby! A major criticism of Hardy's works, including Tess, is that he tends to rely too much on coincidence and his plots are very fatalistic and therefore unrealistic. While I understand this viewpoint, I love the plot with its tragic turns of events and coincidences and would argue that sometimes life is stranger than fiction, so Hardy's fatalism has a place ...
...sections of the plot. Tess herself is a very likeable tragic heroine whose major flaw is her naivety and sense of responsibility. I think that Hardy does desperately want her to be happy, but knows that that could never happen due to the turn of events (I don't want to give the plot away!). Yes, there are times when you want to slap her for not being a little wiser and more independent, but these flaws are due to Tess being such a product of her ...

DoubleFantasy11 11.08.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...Early on in the novel Tess Durbeyfield finds out that she is a descendent of the nobel D'Urbervilles. After the death of the family's horse, 'Prince', Tess is made to visit Alec D'Urberville who lives in a neighbouring village to ask for financial assistance. Little does she know that she is employed not because Alec actually needs her but because he fancies her. This leads to several encounters between them where Alec tries to approach Tess in a ...
...However, Tess being so young and innocent does not know what to do and rejects him. However an important event happens during her time with Alec, that is, she is raped by the latter. This makes her leave Alec only to find out she is pregnant. Anyway some time later, the baby dies and Tess is off to new pastures to find work. She goes to Talbothays where she meets Angel Clare and falls in love with him. These turn out to be the happiest days of her ...

jeffe 29.03.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...old favourite of mine - Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. When the book ( first called 'A Pure Woman') was published in 1891, it ruffled quite a few Victorian feathers!! Hardy fearlessly tackled issues such as murder, rape and violence which were, at the time unmentionable. What readers today have to understand is that the topics Hardy covered - while commonplace in contemporary literature, were considered obscene in the nineteenth century. ...
...truth be concealed." Tess of the D'Urbervilles deals with the oppression of an innocent girl. Most of the consequences she faced were not due to her own actions which makes this story somewhat of a tragedy in that sense giving the book a mood that you can try to make for yourself a good life, but you do not determine your own outcome. The book starts with a somewhat insignificant incident - or so we think : John Durbeyfield, a middle-aged peddler, ...

oldchem 04.07.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...for a woman such as Tess to be seen as pure in Hardy's eyes. I'm giving a fairly lengthy plot description here, so apologies if you get bored, and the ending is given away, so watch out! Tess Durbeyfield is the peasant daughter of haggler John. She is partaking in a local dance with other girls when three young brothers wander along- Angel, Felix and Cuthbert (poor bugger) Clare. Angel wants to join in the dance, but his older brothers are basically ...
...horse and cart. He gets Tess and her little brother to do it instead. Tess falls asleep and the horse ends up in an accident and is killed. As a result, the overly sensitive Tess feels guilty not realising it is really John's fault. Meanwhile her mother Joan has learned that a Lady D'Urberville lives in a neighbouring village. She wants to send Tess to claim kin and learning that there is a master D'urberville, has notions that Tess, being a beautiful ...

wicked_witch 25.06.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a novel that frequently comes up an A level reading lists. It's a well known Hardy novel (helped by the Roman Polanski film of the book) and a particularly depressing one at that. I'm going to do a plot spoiler, so If you don't want to know what happens, don't read the next paragraph. A chance remark by the local vicar causes Tess's father to realise that his family is descended from nobility. When a freak accident ...
...but are happy to offer Tess work. The young man of the house, Alec, seduces Tess. She leaves, and later gives birth to a child, who dies not long after. Tess then goes to work on a dairy farm where she meets Angel Claire, a vicar's son. They fall in love. Tess writes a confession of her past and posts in under Angel's door, and under his carpet so he never finds it. She repeats her confession on her wedding night, he is unable to accept her past ...

Bryn_Pearson 06.09.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

When Tess of the d’Urbervilles was first published 1891, it caused a great stir. This story was one of the first to include a great variety of topics such as murder, rape and violence. Written by Thomas Hardy, it is a rather depressing novel that follows the life of Tess Durbeyfield who seems to have continuous theme of bad luck throughout her life. The novel begins with John Durbeyfield begin informed by a Parson that he and his family belong to ...
...this in mind, he sends Tess out to go and claim kinship. This is when she meets Alec d’Urberville, a person we will get to know very well. What we find out after Tess has left though is the fact that Alec only bought the name d’Urberville to replace their actual name the Stokes. Alec obviously takes a liking to Tess, but Tess is a little wary and shy and soon leaves. A few days later Tess gets invited to go and work for the d’Urbervilles. When she ...

RobStead 10.01.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...tells the painful story of Tess Durbeyfield, who struggles to overcome the problems of ignorance and poverty, and gets herself into all manner of heartbreaking situations. She is raped, contemplates suicide several times, and the book finishes with her capture and execution for murdering her attacker. However, don't be fooled, none of this is as exciting as it sounds. Some of the other unimportant issues contemplated by Hardy are the way in which ...
...spends a whole chapter describing Tess milking a cow on a dairy farm. Sentences such as "One may, indeed, admit the possibility of a retribution lurking in the present catastrophe", appear on every page, as if just to emphasise that Thomas Hardy knows lots of long words and is not afraid to use them. Sometimes simpler is better. The scene in which Tess is raped is written in such flowery language that I didn't even realise anything had happened until ...

l-m-n-o-p 14.08.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Do not read Tess if you are in one of those grumpy moods and need cheering up. It is horridly bleak. Hardy explores all the avenues of chance and fate and comes up with a devastatingly heart wrenching outcome. I won't tell you what it is but just be prepared for it all. Symbolism, imagery and the link between one motiff and another is well done giving the chapters a sense of continuity. Every character's actions are intricately linked to another's ...
...person's course of action decides the path of another person's actions. It is important to note that Hardy was greatly influenced by the Theory of Evolution of Darwin and thus there are certain comparisons of the different classes of not only society, but religion. Look out also for the influence of John Stuart Mill in this novel. Hardy also examines the relationships between Man and nature, the environment, the rural countryside and the more urban ...

yingli.lim 16.12.2000 (17.01.2001) · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the d'Uerberville is in my opinion one of Thomas Hardy's best book. It's about a tragic heroin, who's life is 'blighted' like the stars. Her social class, society, her fate all 'doom' her. When she reluctantly goes to 'claim kin' she meets trouble. Alec Durberfield, who embodies money, the higher social class, who sues his superiority against her, exploiting her, and eventually raping away. Whether she was raped or not, it doesn't really ...
...and cannot forgive her, forcing Tess to go back home. Her drunken father dies, and she is forced to go back to Alec for the sake of her family, but when she realises that Angel wants her back, she kills Alec. But the reader get a sense that justice is done, when Tess and Angel are re-united at the end, and Tess is hanged. The story-line is very good, but what is more pleasing abut this novel is that you get a a lot of Hardy's own views. He doesn't ...

WAD1-2-3 30.05.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'urbervilles is a plot revolving around the impressive landscapes of Wessex, where Hardy set most of his novels, and the eponymous heroine; Tess Durbeyfield. The book is highly saturated with Hardy's lengthy descriptions yet gives a wonderful social commentary of contemporary 'Hardy' Wessex and the trials he put his heroine through. At a young age Tess is thrown into adulthood when her parents believe themselves to be descendants of ...
...other hand, the character of Tess is so well conceived and real that it is hard not to feel so deeply for her sufferings. It is also easy to see Hardy's own views reflected in that of Angel Clare, as he struggles against the narrow spiritual constraints of his family to his own sense of humanity and Hardy's eventual rejection of the Christian faith. I believe many readers will enjoy this book for its brilliant characters and plot that contains not ...

superstar181818 24.07.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the d'Urbervilles A brilliant book written in the first person, by Thomas Hardy. He acts like a 'god like narrator' controlling his main charchters Tess's fate. However, this novel has many hidden messages, the love for the natural countryside, the hatred towards the upper classes, the despair for the dying social classes, and the rejection of religion, which he believed to be man made. The story itself is brilliant, we follow the plight ...

sid 11.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...Century' but the story of Tess is about so much more than that. It combines childhood innocence and girlish naivete with the real world of cruelty and down right bad luck. Tess's story is one of betrayal and heartbreak, it is tragic and yet, despite the negative events in the novel, like Steinbeck's works, Hardy keeps the reader enthralled throughout without feeling miserable. Although written a long time ago, the novel addresses issues that are ...

beckywright 26.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

...and coincidence! The book follows Tess Durbeyfield who begins life as a poor young country girl. Hardy, in favour of the countryside, has her represent purity. However even at the start of the novel it is clear things will not go smoothly for Tess. One day the family find they are related to the rich D'Urbervilles and Tess is sent off to investigate, there she meets Alec D'Urberville whom is destined to haunt her throughout the novel and things ...

AlexMayer 22.06.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles begins with the chance meeting between Parson Tringham and John Durbeyfield. The parson addresses the impoverished Durbeyfield as "Sir John," and remarks that he has just learned that the Durbeyfields are descended from the d'Urbervilles, a family once renowned in England. Although Parson Tringham mentions this only to note how the mighty have fallen, John Durbeyfield rejoices over the news. Durbeyfield arrives ...
...daughter Tess dances. During this celebration, Tess happens to meet three brothers: Felix, Cuthbert and Angel Clare. Angel does not dance with Tess, but takes note of her as the most striking of the girls. When Tess arrives at home, she learns that her father is at the tavern celebrating the news of his esteemed family connections. Since John must awake early to deliver bees, Tess sends her mother to get her father, then her brother Abraham, and ...

i_love_money 31.10.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of my favourite Thomas Hardy novels, simply because the story is so unique and captivating. Ii read this over the summer and I can assure you that you also will enjoy the book. The price is very little and is definately worth having in your collection. However, those who are new to Thomas Hardy I must warn you that his work is often padded out with excessive details. This however does not ruin the story. The story ...
...invites you to sympathize with all that Tess is and all that she goes through. I highly recommend this novel, although it may not have a pleasant ending it is very interesting and meaningful! I must add that any woman intending on reading this you are surely to love it! ...

sweetfilth 01.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy