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Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Start date: February 1, 2014

Finish date: February 28, 2014

Discussion: February 2014 - Tess

Why we're reading this: Tess of the d’Urbervilles and other novels, Hardy demonstrates his deep sense of moral sympathy for Engla…more
[close] Tess of the d’Urbervilles and other novels, Hardy demonstrates his 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 depiction of such a young woman is in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. This novel and the one that followed it, Jude the Obscure (1895), engendered widespread public scandal with their comparatively frank look at the sexual hypocrisy of English society. (Taken from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tess/co...)

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February 2014 - Tess

Angel vs. Alec
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last updated Feb 26, 2016 02:27AM

Movie/TV Adaptations
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last updated Oct 21, 2015 10:49AM

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What Members Thought

Aug 17, 2013 W rated it it was amazing

Shelves: period-drama, drama, classics

This was my first Thomas Hardy book, and i was not disappointed. I loved the way he captured the scenes, and described it in vivid detail. The tragic story of a young woman whose life is turned upside down by, in my opinion, two selfish men, is truly amazing.

Tess is a strong character, although she is weak to her emotions, she has the ability to pull through every situation by keeping her head high, and not showing what she is really feeling. The fact that she basically tolerates what she has b ...more

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Jun 09, 2013 Donadee's Corner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics

This is truly a tragic love story. For someone to love another so deeply to give up their life is unheard of these days. In many ways the injustice of Tess's life was a tragedy. I really don't want to spoil the book for future readers so I won't go into detail. Tess was a beauty and deserved so much more from life than what she received, hard work, a mum that did not prepare her for life and unjustly treated by the men in her life. This story will grab you from the first chapter on, be prepared ...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Alessia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 1001-books, women-in-history, english-lit, kindle-and-ebooks, 2014

I'm not sure whether to give this three or four stars. It was my first book by Thomas Hardy, and I'm still not entirely positive about the book, is it a critique of the way society viewed women or is Tess more a symbol than a character in her own right? It was thought provoking none the less, and I am sure I'll find myself more and more curious to know more about the book and it'll stay with me for a while, so it was definitely worth reading it. ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 Meg rated it it was amazing

This has got to be one of my favorite books ever now. Hardy’s precise and devoted prose, his characterizations and portrayals of unhealthy, codependent relationships, misogyny, feminism, nature, and the fate of “passively active” Tess wouldn’t allow me to put this one down. Just 🙌🏽

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