Main Text
Explore 7 main texts related to Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Each section contains the full literary work.
Tess of the d’Urbervilles Characters
Characters
Main Characters
Tess Durbeyfield – The protagonist and tragic heroine. A poor country girl. Innocent and hardworking. Life treats her cruelly, though she does no real wrong. She is a pure woman. Angel Clare – Son of a clergyman. Honest but proud. Wants to be a farmer, not a priest. He loves Tess but fails to support her when she needs him most.
Alec d’Urberville – A rich and selfish...
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Tess of the d’Urbervilles Literary Devices
Literary devices are essential parts of a literary work. In this section, we will focus on several important symbols of the novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles.
Symbols
D'Urberville Name: Symbolizes false aristocracy and social aspirations. White: Represents Tess's innocence and purity. Red: Symbolizes passion, sensuality, and violence. Death of Prince: Symbolizes the misfortune of Tess' family. Natu...
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Tess of the d’Urbervilles Quotes
Quotes
“You are the lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the d’Urbervilles…”
Exp: Parson Tringham tells John Durbeyfield that they are actually from a noble family called the d’Urbervilles. After hearing this, he becomes proud and lazy. Later, Tess’s parents send her to Alec d’Urberville’s family to seek help.
“‘Tis all my doing—all mine!’”
Exp: Here, Tess is blaming he...
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Tess of the d’Urbervilles Summary
Phase the First: The Maiden
John Durbeyfield Hears About Family Lineage: The story begins with a poor man named John Durbeyfield. He is Tess’s father. One day, he is walking back home from work. He is tired as usual. On the way, he meets Parson Tringham, the local clergyman. Tringham stops John and tells him surprising news: the Durbeyfield family is actually descended from an old noble family cal...
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Tess of the d’Urbervilles Themes
Themes
Injustice and Social Criticism : In “Tess of the d’Urbervilles,” Hardy shows how unfair society is. Tess is a victim of Alec’s crime, yet people blame her instead of supporting her. She is judged for being “impure,” while men like Alec and Angel are easily forgiven. Society is harsh to women and the poor, but soft to the rich and powerful. Hardy criticizes this injustice through Tess’s life...
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Notes (24)
- Do you consider Tess as a pure woman? Comment on the factors responsible for the tragedy of Tess.
- How does Tess fall into the fire from a frying pan?
- How was Prince killed in Tess of the D'Urbervilles
- "O merciful, God, have pity; have pity upon my poor baby!"-Explain.
- "Remember, I was your master once! I will be your master again. If you are any man's wife you are mine!"-Explain.
- "She had been made to break a necessary social law, but no law known to the environment in which she fancied herself such an anomaly."-Explain
- Short note on Angel Clare’s Sleep-walking scene
- Short note on Sorrow’s Death and Burial
- Short note on Wessex Novel
- Short note on the Significance of Prince’s Death.
- "Tess is more sinned against than sinning." Do you agree?
- The factors responsible for the tragedy of Tess
- The influence of Alec and Angel on the life of Tess
- The Role Of Fate In Tess Of The D'urbervilles
- Thomas Hardy a pessimist or a realist?
- Thomas Hardy's treatment of nature in Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
- "Too late, too late! Don't come close to me. Angel! No - you must not."-Explain
- What do you know about Angel's sleepwalking scene
- What led Tess to go to the d’Urbervilles at Trantridge?
- What situation led Tess to murder Alec
- "When they were together the Jacobean and the Victorian ages were juxtaposed."-Explain.
- “Whip me, crush me; you need not mind those people under the rick! I shall not cry out. Once victim, always victim, that's the law.”-Explain.
- Why does Tess agree to marry Angel
- Write a short note on Tess’s coming “out of the frying-pan into the fire