If you have been following the posts you may be able to tell now that every so often I love a good classic. I have sought to read Tess of the D'urbervilles for a long time but never seemed to get around to it. I knew little more that than the following, that is was a story of a fallen woman, a book way ahead of is time. What intrigued me was the fact that it was written by a man. How much could Hardy really understand about a woman, in a society which still repressed women in many ways?
The story begins with a girl of the name Tess Durbeyfield. Her family are struggling with poverty and her father is told they are from an ancient family known as the D'urbervilles. Sent from her home and all she knows to befriend the D'urbervilles Tess is thrust into the hospitality of Alec D'urberville, which proves to be her downfall. A child is born from this downfall and Tess is forced to return to her family shamed and lost.
After the death of the child, Tess decides to begin her life afresh and goes to work on a dairy farmer where she makes friends and is very happy, living a humble and unrecognised life. She there meets Angel Clare, educated son of a clergyman who wishes to start his own agricultural career and the pair fall in love.
However on the eve of their wedding, Angel confesses that he had premarital relations with a woman in his younger days, to which Tess readily forgives and decides to allude him, against the wishes of her family, to her own mistakes of younger days.
Angel is so disgusted that he leaves her and she is forced to go and work on a turnip farm a very undignified and hard job. Angel goes abroad to work and although he sends Tess money, she does not touch it preferring to be independent. She refuses to go by her marital name in case she should further disgrace Angel whom she loves deeply.
Through a twist of fate Alec D'urberville comes back into her life a changed man, but upon meeting Tess is drawn back in to his old lustful ways.
The story ends with Angel returning many years later ready to forgive Tess and she is then forced to kill Alec to be with Angel.
It is hard to believe this story was written when the life of a woman was so different. The relevance to today's society and opinions was at time remarkable. For a man to have many premarital partners is seen still to this day as a badge of bravado or honour, but the female equivalent is seen as loose or easy.
Well done Thomas Hardy for beginning the revolution!!
10/10
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