I came to Tess of the D’Urbervilles a second time with no great enthusiasm, although not quite with unwillingness either. It had always been one of those classic novels I remembered with some fondness, despite it having been something of a toil to read. Set in rural Wessex, the sprawling tragedy of the titular country girl spans seven main parts, each one pertaining to a particular phase of her existence. These are ‘The Maiden’, ‘Maiden No More’, ‘The Rally’, ‘The Consequence’, ‘The Woman Pays’, ‘The Convert’, and ‘Fulfilment.’ This structuring is a nice touch, and adds a sense of inevitability to the fate of Tess. For those considering reading the book, bear in mind that it is rather lengthy and the pacing can be agonisingly slow in places. I shall attempt to sum up the plot without revealing too many spoilers.
Following the chance discovery of their lineage from an ancient and noble family, the simple and impoverished Durbeyfields urge their eldest daughter Tess to claim kinship from the wealthy D’Urbervilles. During this undertaking, the reluctant Tess meets her supposed cousin Alec, an immoral libertine who exploits her naivety by raping her, thus setting into motion an unstoppable chain of further misfortunes for the heroine. Some time later, Tess attempts to put the past behind her by leaving home to work on a dairy farm. Here she meets Angel Clare, a young man who offers her marriage and a happy future. Tess must face the moral decision regarding whether to keep quiet about her past, or confess all at the risk of compromising her new found happiness. The tale provides a strong social critique on Victorian notions of virtue and purity and the double standards existing between the sexes. As an eternally harassed and wronged character, the reader is supposed to align their sympathies with Tess, but sometimes her continually increasing woes feel overly artificial, almost as though Hardy is desperate to extract our empathy. This is not a major criticism, but the relentless tragedy of her life can be a bit much at times.
The two diametrically opposed male characters dominant in Tess’s life, Alec and Angel, offer the most interesting analysis in the novel. Alec is introduced as a decadent, self serving womaniser who openly admits to being bad; “I was born bad, and I have lived bad, and I shall die bad in all probability.” Angel, on the other hand, is presented as a free thinking, honest, good natured and respectable gentleman; his name alone connoting these qualities. Hero and villain could not be more markedly delineated, however on closer inspection, it is arguable that Alec is the better of the two men; for all his faults, at least he is honest about them. Angel in my opinion, heaps the gravest injustices upon Tess. He is hypocritical, petty, controlling, emotionally weak and far too idealistic in his original worship of Tess. Prior to their wedding night, he treats her like a child, praising his own deluded image of her. When this illusion is shattered, his treatment of Tess is far worse than that of Alec’s, whom despite raping her, at least wanted to marry her for who she was. It is of course an opinion likely to cause controversy, and whether that was Hardy’s intention when writing the book is unknown. This ambiguity adds a layer of depth and speculation to what would otherwise have been a rather stagnant plot.
My biggest criticism of the book is Hardy’s unrelenting and mind numbingly boring landscape descriptions which seem to never end. Unless one is intimately familiar with the places being described, there is little pleasure to be had from reading about overly detailed geographical locations. His fascination with landscape is only surpassed by his voyeurism of Tess herself, verging on outright obsession. I found the all too frequent descriptions of her physical self to be very off-putting. Criticisms aside, I fear that I have not given the novel enough of the actual praise it deserves. There are some truly spectacular passages scattered throughout, and when reading it for the first time, one does grow to care for the plight of the characters. The ending will not be to everyone’s tastes, but I was pleasantly satisfied. I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy a good tragedy.
Rating: 3/5
Following the chance discovery of their lineage from an ancient and noble family, the simple and impoverished Durbeyfields urge their eldest daughter Tess to claim kinship from the wealthy D’Urbervilles. During this undertaking, the reluctant Tess meets her supposed cousin Alec, an immoral libertine who exploits her naivety by raping her, thus setting into motion an unstoppable chain of further misfortunes for the heroine. Some time later, Tess attempts to put the past behind her by leaving home to work on a dairy farm. Here she meets Angel Clare, a young man who offers her marriage and a happy future. Tess must face the moral decision regarding whether to keep quiet about her past, or confess all at the risk of compromising her new found happiness. The tale provides a strong social critique on Victorian notions of virtue and purity and the double standards existing between the sexes. As an eternally harassed and wronged character, the reader is supposed to align their sympathies with Tess, but sometimes her continually increasing woes feel overly artificial, almost as though Hardy is desperate to extract our empathy. This is not a major criticism, but the relentless tragedy of her life can be a bit much at times.
The two diametrically opposed male characters dominant in Tess’s life, Alec and Angel, offer the most interesting analysis in the novel. Alec is introduced as a decadent, self serving womaniser who openly admits to being bad; “I was born bad, and I have lived bad, and I shall die bad in all probability.” Angel, on the other hand, is presented as a free thinking, honest, good natured and respectable gentleman; his name alone connoting these qualities. Hero and villain could not be more markedly delineated, however on closer inspection, it is arguable that Alec is the better of the two men; for all his faults, at least he is honest about them. Angel in my opinion, heaps the gravest injustices upon Tess. He is hypocritical, petty, controlling, emotionally weak and far too idealistic in his original worship of Tess. Prior to their wedding night, he treats her like a child, praising his own deluded image of her. When this illusion is shattered, his treatment of Tess is far worse than that of Alec’s, whom despite raping her, at least wanted to marry her for who she was. It is of course an opinion likely to cause controversy, and whether that was Hardy’s intention when writing the book is unknown. This ambiguity adds a layer of depth and speculation to what would otherwise have been a rather stagnant plot.
My biggest criticism of the book is Hardy’s unrelenting and mind numbingly boring landscape descriptions which seem to never end. Unless one is intimately familiar with the places being described, there is little pleasure to be had from reading about overly detailed geographical locations. His fascination with landscape is only surpassed by his voyeurism of Tess herself, verging on outright obsession. I found the all too frequent descriptions of her physical self to be very off-putting. Criticisms aside, I fear that I have not given the novel enough of the actual praise it deserves. There are some truly spectacular passages scattered throughout, and when reading it for the first time, one does grow to care for the plight of the characters. The ending will not be to everyone’s tastes, but I was pleasantly satisfied. I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy a good tragedy.
Rating: 3/5
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