Tess of d’Ubervilles

Thomas hardy

Presented by: Aaradhya

Singh
Overview

• Introduction
• The Setting of
Novel
• Characters
• Tess As Naturalistic
Novel
• Reference of the
novel
• Climax of the
Novel
 Introduction
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a novel by Thomas Hardy that follows the life of
Tess Durbeyfield, a beautiful and innocent young woman living in rural
England in the late 19th century. Tess is seduced by Alec d'Urberville, a
dissolute heir, and bears his child, who dies in infancy. She later marries
Angel Clare, an idealistic man who rejects her after learning of her past on
their wedding night. Tess is then forced to return to Alec, who eventually
murders him.
The novel is a powerful indictment of Victorian society, which was highly
critical of women who fell outside of its strict moral code. Tess is a tragic
figure, but she is also a symbol of strength and resilience. She never gives
up hope, even in the face of overwhelming adversity.
 Introduction
The role of women in Victorian society, The nature of good and evil, The power
of love and forgiveness, The relationship between man and nature, and The
importance of social justice.
After a successful reception as a serial, Tess of the d'Urbervilles was published
in book form and consisted of three volumes. In late 1892, the entire set was
combined into one volume and sold well. By 1900, Hardy authorized a
paperback version of the novel, which sold 300,000 editions in England in one
year. Hardy continually tinkered with the subsequent editions, and he worked
on revisions up until the time of his death in 1928.
 The Setting of novel
Most of the action takes place in the late 19th Century in Southwestern England in the
county of Wessex, the fictional name of Dorset County. The town where Tess lives, Marlott
(fictional), is four hours from London by horse-drawn coach or wagon. In Chapter 41, the
action shifts for a time to Curitiba, Brazil, where Angel Clare and other Englishmen
discover that the promise of riches is a deception they have fallen for. In Chapter 58, the
scene shifts to the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge, north of the town of Salisbury,
England, in the county of Wiltshire. Since Author Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset County
in 1840 and died there in 1928, he knew the county intimately, his descriptions of its
landscape, its people, and its customs ring with authenticity.
 Characters of the novel

Tess – the Protagonist

* Intelligent, sensitive, and attractive 16 yr old who lives with her impoverished family
* a diligent worker who helps her father support the family and assists her mother in
looking after the younger children
* has completed the Sixth Standard in the National School under a London teacher and,
therefore, can speak two languages: the local dialect and standard English.
Cont. John Durbeyfield: * Middle-aged father of
Tess
* self-described haggler who peddles goods and
works the land\
* lazy and irresponsible, his family lives in constant
want in a Marlott cottage
*he relies heavily on Tess to help keep the family
going
Joan Durbeyfield:* Mother of Tess*
a pleasant, easygoing woman, although at times
Abraham (Aby) Durbeyfield: Brother of Tess. He is nine years old at the beginning of the novel.
Aby is with Tess on the night of the accident that kills their horse, Prince.

Eliza-Louisa (Liza-Lu) Durbeyfield: Sister of Tess. At the beginning of the novel, she is twelve years
old.
She is with Angel Clare at Salisbury when Tess is executed.
Hope and Modesty Durbeyfield: Very young sisters of Tess.

Durbeyfield Toddlers: Brothers of Tess, ages three and one at the beginning of the novel.

Alexander (Alec) Stoke-d'Urberville:

* Son of Simon Stoke-d'Urberville
* Gives Tess a job as a poultry keeper and immediately makes sexual advances toward her.
Tess rejects them, but he persists. One evening, while Tess is asleep, he sees his opportunity and
seizes it, forever changing her and sending her on a tragic journey.
* Temporarily finds God because of influence of Mr. Clare.

Mrs. Stoke-d'Urberville:
*Mother of Alec d'Urberville and widow of Simon
* She is blind and confined to her home
* One of Tess's tasks as a poultry keeper is to take chickens to Mrs. d'Urberville so that she can feel
Angel Clare: * Son of a vicar and the vicar's second wife.
* Although Angel's father wants him to be a minister, Angel, who has studied at Cambridge, wishes to
pursue a career in agriculture
* He is more open-minded to new ideas than the rest of his family and more accepting of common folk
* While studying agriculture at a dairy where Tess works, he falls in love with her, and they eventually
marry
* When he learns about Tess's past, he leaves her shortly after the wedding – goes to Brazil

Rev. James Clare: * Vicar and father of Angel Clare

* The narrator describes him as a "spiritual descendant in the direct line from Wycliff, Huss, Luther,
Calvin; an Evangelical of the Evangelicals, a Conversionist, a man of Apostolic simplicity in life and
thought [whose] creed of determinism was such that it almost amounted to a vice."

Cutherbert and Felix Clare:

* Brothers of Angel Clare
* Both become ministers
* They look down upon common folk, including Tess.
Mercy Chant:
* Prissy young woman who conducts Bible classes
* Before Angel Clare meets Tess, his parents think she would make him a fine wife.
Richard Crick: Master dairyman at Talbothays Dairy, where Tess takes a job and falls in love with
Angel Clare.
Mrs. Crick: Wife of Richard Crick.

Izz Huett, Retty Priddle, Marian: Milkmaids at Talbothays Dairy who befriend Tess and share a room
with her. They fall in love with Angel Clare and are broken-hearted when he marries Tess.

Car Darch:
* Shrewish young woman who was a favorite of Alec Stoke-d'Urberville before he met Tess
* Nicknamed the Queen of Spades
* When she picks a fight with Tess, Alec comes to Tess's “rescue” – “out of the frying pan and into
the fire.”

Nancy Darch:
* Car Darch's sister, known as the Queen of Diamonds
* Backs her sister in the fight with Tess.
* Both end up on Mr. Groby’s farm with Tess .

Farmer Groby: * Cruel supervisor at Flintcombe-Ash dairy farm

 Tess as Naturalistic novel
"Tess of the d'Urbervilles" embodies literary naturalism, showcasing the
influence of heredity and environment on characters like Cuthbert and Felix
Clare, who follow their father's path into the ministry, while Angel Clare
challenges convention but succumbs to family expectations. The novel
suggests human beings lack significant free will due to these influences and
portrays them akin to lower animals, devoid of soul. Thomas Hardy presents
life as it is, with meticulous detail, and strives for objectivity, though
occasionally inserting personal views. Characters are observed rather than
manipulated, and dialogue reflects authentic speech patterns of the time and
place, as seen in Tess's mother, Joan Durbeyfield's, conversation about her
husband's heritage.
 References of the
Tess in popular culture
novel
Art Garfunkel named his first post-Simon & Garfunkel solo album Angel Clare after
the character of the same name.
American writer Christopher Bram wrote a novel entitled In Memory of Angel Clare
(1989).
The British comedy troupe Monty Python mention Tess of the d'Urbervilles on their
1973 comedy record album Monty Python's Matching Tie and Handkerchief on the
track "Novel Writing", in which Thomas Hardy writes Return of the Native before a
live audience.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is mentioned towards the end of M.R.James' short ghost
story 'The Mezzotint' (1904).
Tess of the D'Ubervilles is also referred to in Margaret Atwood's short story entitled
My Last Duchess, published in Moral Disorder (2006).
Third Eye Blind's recent new song 'Summertown' refers to 'Nabokov, Miller, and
Tess' as the favorite fiction of the song's protagonist.
 Climax of Novel
The climax of the novel takes place on the wedding
night of Tess and Angel after Tess reveals to her
new husband the details of her relationship with
Alec d'Urberville. The key moment occurs when
Angel rejects Tess, saying that her disclosure makes
him realize that she is not the woman he believed
her to be. His inability to accept Tess as she is
precipitates the tragic events that follow. There is a
kind of secondary climax that occurs when police
catch up with and arrest Tess at Stonehenge.
 Conclusions
Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a tragedy of love and life. Tess is a poor peasant
who tries to fight destiny but fails. She murders Alec, the man who took advantage of her, and
runs away with Angel, her true love. The police find them at Stonehenge and hang Tess. The
novel's resolution is bittersweet. Tess is free from Alec and briefly finds happiness with Angel,
but she dooms herself in the process. The black flag that rises at the end confirms that Tess
has been executed and is finally free from the torments that plagued her in life.
Here are some themes in Tess of the D'Urbervilles:
• Modernism: The novel portrays the energy of traditional ways and the forces that destroy
them.
• Modern farm machinery: Hardy describes modern farm machinery with infernal imagery.
• Man's separation from nature: Angel's middle-class fastidiousness makes him reject Tess.
• Empathy for women: The novel presents Tess as a victim of the time in which she lives;
both men and society treat her unkindly and unfairly.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles was controversial when it came out. Victorian society would have
considered Tess a "fallen woman," rather than a naive young woman assaulted or taken
advantage of. The novel generally follows the moral structure of the traditional English novel —
that virtue is rewarded, immorality is punished, and good people learn from their mistakes.
Thank You