Tess

1A brief introduction to Thomas Hardy and Tess of the D’Urbervilles Thomas hardy was a famous critical realistic writer in England. Tess of the D‟Urbervilles is the most influential one of his work.

1.1A brief introduction to Thomas hardy and his writing features

Thomas Hardy (1840_1928), one of the representatives of the English critical realism novelist, he was also a poet. He is famous for novels of character and environment. His birthplace was in a country which named Egdon in the westland; this natural environment formed the main environment in the hardy‟ writes. His father was a stonecutter, but like music, his parents paid more attention on Hardy‟s education. In his childhood，he received the education for theology, but when he grew up, he turned to learn the literary. After Hardy left school he became a architect‟s apprentice in 1856. And then he went to London to become a post of the building draftsman in 1862. He also took courses in London University. His literature career began with poetry, but due to not have the good fortune to publish it he changed the matter for novel creation. His firs novel was published in 1871, the celebrated work was his fourth novel Far From the Madding Crowd(1874),from then on, he dropped construct industry and devoted to the novel creation.

Hardy wrote nearly 20 long novels his life, the most famous novels are The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the D'Urbervilles(1891), Jude the Obscure(1896). His works reflected the changed of social economy, political, moral and tradition when the hypocritical bourgeoisie invaded the countries in England.

.As a transitional writer, Hardy was both influenced by both the past and the modern, as a result he is known as intellectually advanced and emotional traditional writer. In his novels on the one hand he showed an apparent nostalgic feeling in his description of the simple and beautiful though primitive rural life, which was gradually declining and disappearing as England marched into an industrial country. On the other hand, the immense impact of scientific discoveries and modern philosophic thoughts upon man is quite obvious too,

He was deeply influenced by Influenced by Darwin‟s The Origin of Species and Spencer‟s The First Principle, he accepted the idea of survival the fittest and believed that man‟s fate is predeterminedly tragic, driven by a combined force of “nature” both inside and outside. The natural environment is shown as some mysterious supernatural force, which is very powerful.

1.2The brief plot of Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Tess

Tess comes from a farmer‟s family, the Durbeyfields. One day her father, John Durbeyfield learns that they‟re descended from the D‟Urbervilles, an ancient noble family. Her mother urges Tess to claim kinship with the remaining D‟Urbervilles, so that Tess could marry a gentleman. Unwillingly, the girl comes in contact with the Stoke D‟Urbervilles. There she meets Alec D‟Urbervilles. Having received a job of tending chickens, Tess stays in the D‟Urbervilles house. Before long the rich but guileful Alec manages to seduce the girl and make her pregnant. Being humiliated and resolute, Tess returns home, and gives birth to the child who is named Sorrow but dies. Without financial support, Tess has to leave home and goes to work at a distant farm, where she meets Angel Claire. After Angel persistent pursuit of Tess, the two fall in love. In the weeding night, Tess admits about Alec D‟Urbervilles and the child. She begs for forgiveness, but Angel leaves her in disgust. Tess again returns home alone, only find that her family remains impoverished and she even has no place to stay. She has a difficult time finding work and is forced to take a job at an unpleasant and unprosperous farm. In the meantime Alec D‟Urbervilles appears again. He promises to support her family, only as a means to make Tess dependent. At the end of hope, the girl jumps into the trap of the shameless man. However, Angel Claire, who is regretful for his brutality comes back, which makes Tess even more desperate. After Angel leaves, she kills Alec. Then she follows Angel and escape with him. They manage to hide for a while in a wood before she is arrested. She is hung late

2 Two reasons lead to Tes s’s tragic fate

2.1 Economic hardship leads to Tes s‟s tragic fate

At the beginning of the novel, Tess is a daughter of a poor family. Her poor family forced she seeks help from relatives with same surname. So her tragic fate begins.

2.1.1The first economic hardship

Tess was born in a poor family, she is the eldest child in her family. Her father bears the burden of all the families. But he also suffered from heart disease. In one accident, their horse died. So their family fell into a serious economic hardship. The author wrote “The haggling business, which had mainly depended on the horse became disorganized forthwith. Distress, if not penury, loomed in the distance.‟‟(Tess of the D’Urbervilles37) Under the economic pressure, Tess dose not insist on her first choice, but chooses to follow her mother‟s advice to the house of wealthy relatives. In the end she suffers devastating, becomes the sacrificial victim.

Tess

2.1.2the second economic hardship

The second time of economic hardship is happened more than 8 months after Tess was abandoned by Angel. She is unable to work because of the rainy season. Her mother send a letter to her to ask for money to repair house“ Part of the reminder she was obligated to expand in winter clothing, leaving only a nominal sum for the whole inclement season at hand.‟‟(Tess of the D’Urbervil les322) Facing with the bad economic situation she could ask Angle‟s father for help or she could tell her families or she could return to Talbothays. But she finally chooses to work in Fintcomb- …… 此处隐藏：11602字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……