Schedatura di "Tess of the d'Ubervilles" di Thomas Hardy
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Context
Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840. His father ran a masonry business in a
small town in Dorset, England, where he also played the music for a local church.
Thomas was a sensitive and intelligent child; he progressed diligently through
his studies, and in his early twenties he was apprenticed to an architect in
London. But his health suffered in the city, and he finally went back to Dorset
to work for an architect named John Hicks. His first published novel appeared in
1871, after which he was able to retire from architecture and work solely on his
writing.
Hardy had a deep sense of moral sympathy for England's lower classes,
particularly for rural women. He became famous for his compassionate, often
controversial portrayal of young women victimized by the self-righteous rigidity
of English social morality; perhaps his most famous portayal of such a young
woman occurred in 1891's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, the story of the title
character's unjust suffering following her premarital sexual encounter with the
son of an upper-class merchant. This novel and its successor, 1894's Jude the
Obscure, engendered widespread public scandal with their comparatively frank
look at the sexual hypocrisy of English society. Hardy was enraged by the
controversy caused by his work, and finally abandoned novel writing altogether
following 1897's The Well-Beloved. He spent the rest of his career writing
poetry; though he is remembered mostly for his novels today, he was an acclaimed
poet in his time, and was buried in Westminster Abbey following his death in
1928.
List of Characters For Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess Durbeyfield - The novel's protagonist, a beautiful, loyal young woman
living with her impoverished family in the village of Marlott. Tess is extremely
responsible and is committed to doing the best she can for her family. Her life
is complicated when her father discovers he is descended from the noble line of
the d'Urbervilles; Tess is sent to work at the d'Urberville mansion.
Unfortunately, her ideals cannot prevent her from sliding further and further
into misfortune after she becomes pregnant by Alec d'Urberville. The terrible
irony is that Tess and her family are not really related to this branch of the
d'Urbervilles at all: Alec's father, a merchant named Simon Stokes, simply
assumed the name after he retired.
Angel Clare - An intelligent young man who has decided to become a farmer to
preserve his intellectual freedom from the pressures of city life. Angel's
father and his two brothers are respected clergymen, but Angel's religious
doubts have kept him from joining the ministry. He meets Tess when she is a
milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy, and quickly falls in love with her.
Alec d'Urberville - The handsome, amoral son of a wealthy merchant named Simon
Stokes. Alec is not really a d'Urberville--his father simply took the name of
the ancient noble family after he built his mansion and retired. Alec is a
manipulative, sinister young man, and does everything he can to seduce the
inexperienced when she comes to work for his family. When he finally
succeeds--by taking advantage of her while she sleeps--he really tries to help
her, but is unable to make her love him.
John Durbeyfield - Tess's father, a lazy peddler in Marlott. John is naturally
quick, but he hates work; when he learns that he is descended from the noble
line of the d'Urbeyfields, he is quick to make an attempt to profit by the
connection.
Joan Durbeyfield - Tess's mother. Joan has a strong sense of propriety and very
particular hopes for Tess's life; she is continually disappointed and hurt by
the way her daughter's life actually proceeds. But she is also somewhat
simple-minded and naturally forgiving, and she is unable to remain angry with
Tess--particulary once Tess becomes her primary means of support.
Mrs. d'Urberville - Alec's mother, the widow of Simon Stokes. Mrs. d'Urberville
is blind and often ill.
Marian, Izz Huett, and Retty Priddle - Milkmaids Tess befriends at the
Talbothays Dairy, and who remain close to her throughout the rest of her life.
Marian, Izz, and Retty are all in love with Angel, and take it hard when he
chooses Tess over them: Marian turns to drink, Retty attempts suicide, and Izz
nearly runs off to Brazil with Angel when he leaves Tess. Nevertheless, they
remain helpful to Tess: Marian helps her find a job at a farm called
Flintcomb-Ash, and she and Izz write Angel a plaintive letter encouraging him to
give Tess another chance.
Reverend Clare - Angel's father, a somewhat intractable but principled clergyman
in the town of Emminster. Mr. Clare considers it his duty to convert the
populace; one of his most difficult cases proves to be none other than Alec d'Urberville.
Mrs. Clare - Angel's mother, a loving but somewhat snobbish woman who places
great stock in social class.
Reverend Felix Clare - Angel's brother, a village curate.
Reverend Cuthbert Clare - Angel's brother, a classical scholar at Cambridge.
Eliza Louisa Durbeyfield - Liza-Lu is Tess's younger sister; Tess believes
Liza-Lu has all her good qualities and none of her bad ones, and encourages
Angel to look after and even marry Liza-Lu after Tess dies.
Sorrow - Tess's son with Alec d'Urberville; Sorrow dies in his early infancy,
after Tess christens him herself. She later buries him herself as well, and
decorates his grave.
Mercy Chant - The daughter of a friend of the Reverend Clare. Mr. Clare hopes
Angel will marry Mercy, but after Angel marries Tess, she is engaged to Cuthbert
instead.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Summary
The poor peddler is stunned to learn that he is the descendent of an
ancient noble family, the d'Urbervilles. He and his wife decide to send their
oldest daughter, , to the d'Urberville mansion, where they hope will make
her fortune. In reality, Mrs. d'Urberville is no relation to Tess at all; her
husband, the merchant Simon Stokes, simply changed his name to d'Urberville
after he retired. But Tess does not know this, and when the lascivious Alec d'Urberville,
Mrs. d'Uberville's son, procures her a job tending fowls on the d'Urberville
estate, Tess has no choice but to accept.
After Tess spends several months at this job, Alec finally manages to seduce her,
taking advantage of her in the woods one night after a fair. Tess knows she
doesn't love Alec, and she returns home to her family to give birth to Alec's
child, which she christens . Sorrow dies soon after he is born, and Tess spends
a miserable year at home before deciding to seek work elsewhere. She finally
accepts a job as a milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy.
At Talbothays, Tess enjoys a period of contentment and happiness. She befriends
three of her fellow milkmaids, , , and , and meets a man named with whom
she falls in love. They grow closer together throughout Tess's time at
Talbothays, and she eventually accepts his proposal to marry him. Still, she is
troubled by pangs of conscience and feels she should tell Angel about her past.
She tries to write him a confessional note and slip it under his door, but it
slides under the carpet; Angel never sees it.
After their wedding, Angel and Tess both confess indiscretions: Angel tells Tess
about an affair he had with an older woman in London, and Tess tells Angel about
her history with Alec. Tess forgives Angel, but Angel cannot forgive Tess; he
gives her some money and boards a ship bound for Brazil, where he thinks he
might establish a farm. He tell Tess he will try to accept her past, but warns
her not to contact him until he comes for her.
Tess struggles: she has a difficult time finding work, and is forced to take a
job at an unpleasant and unprosperous farm. She tries to visit Angel's family,
but overhears his brothers discussing Angel's poor marriage, and she leaves. She
hears a wondering preacher speak, and is stunned to discover that he is Alec d'Urberville,
having been converted to Christianity by Angel's father, the . Alec and Tess are
each shaken by their encounter, and Alec appallingly begs Tess never to tempt
him again. Soon after, however, he is again begging Tess to marry him, having
turned his back on his religious ways.
Tess learns from her sister that her mother is near death, and she is
forced to return home to take care of her. Her mother recovers, but her father
unexpectedly dies soon after. The family is evicted from their home; Alec offers
help, but Tess refuses to accept, knowing he only wants to obligate her to him
again.
At last, Angel decides to forgive his wife, and he leaves Brazil desperate to
find her. Instead he finds her mother, who tells him Tess has gone to a village
called Sandbourne. Here, he finds Tess in an expensive boardinghouse called The
Herons, where he tells her he has forgiven her and begs her to take him back.
Tess tells him he has come too late; she was unable to resist, and went back to
Alec d'Urberville. Angel leaves in a daze; heartbroken to the point of madness,
Tess goes upstairs and stabs her lover to death. When the landlady finds Alec's
body, she raises and alarm, but Tess has already fled to find Angel.
Angel agrees to help her, though he cannot quite believe that she has actually
murdered Alec. They hide out in an empty mansion for a few days, then travel
further. When they come to Stonehenge, they go to sleep; in the morning, they
are discovered by a search party. Tess is arrested and sent to jail. Angel and
Liza-Lu watch as the black flag is raised over the prison, signaling Tess's
execution.
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