Phase the first "the maiden" Flashcards
“chasten yourself with how are the mighty fallen”
ch1
sums up the durbefield family.
“Tess Durbeyfield at this time of her life **was a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience” **
ch 2
Tess is pure, hints that Tess will become more than she is now and her purit will eventually be ruined. Foreshadowing of Alec raping tess chapter 11. Sets us up from very beginning as seeing Tess as pure and innocent - however does refer to her as a ‘vessel’ - implying that she has little purpose to the world around her other than to carry emotion.
“Phases of her childhood lurked in her aspect still”
ch 2
Hardy juxtaposes idea of mature looking tess with her naivety and youth, which arguably is one of the reasons for her downfall.
“which do we live on - a splendid one or a blighted one? “ **“a blighted one” ** Tess
ch 4
Tess’ realism/pessimism vindicated by events - fatalism. Tess understands the Victorian social system which Hardy is criticisng - born poor stay poor.
“she became splashed from face to skirt with the crimson drops”
ch4
foreshadowing “crimson drops” (and red ribbon etc) link to murdering alec - blood and red heart etc.
“Tis all my doing - all mine!’ Tess
ch 4
completely blames herself, one of her major flaws, taking/feeling too much responsibility.
“nobody blamed tess like she blamed herself”
ch 4
omniscient narrator , highlights Tess’ harmartia, her self blame, responsibility, remourse
“She regarded herself in the light of a murderess”
ch 4
foreshadowing, also shows her guilt.
“crimson brick lodge”
ch 5
contrasts the labouring country - Hardy doesnt like the cities spilling into the country, criticism of urbanisation and the destruction of nature. Also suggests an air of ominousity around the D’Urberville lodge and a sense of unnaturallness.
‘black moustache” “bold rolling eye” “my beauty”
ch 5
Alec is immediately introduced as he is to continue to be seen: the caricature of the womanising villain in melodrama with his moutache and bold rolling eye - shows an immediate possessiveness. He represents the patriarchy that dominates women at this time.
“she obeyed like one in a dream”
ch 5
Alec infantalises tess, he is forceful as he has the power, she obeyed him and appears submissive (both because of his power but also the reason she is there : her family - harmartia). Tess appears powerless in Alecs presence and his ability to force Tess to eat the strawberries foreshadows what else he is capable of forcing upon Tess (link to ch11)
“she was doomed to be seen and coverted that day by the wrong man”
ch 5
“doomed” repeated theme of fatalism, Hardy reall tring to reinforce that it was noy Tess’ fault.
“she had hoped to be a teacher at the school but the fates seemed to decide otherwise”
ch 6
fatalism
“Where was Tess’ guardian angel? where was the provinence of her simple faith?”
ch 11
Pointing out tess’ vulnerability and helplessness.
“this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as goassmer, and practically blank as snow.
ch 11
Tess is a helpless victim during the ambiguous rape section - fate has controlled her. Shows the male desire to control female sexuality and possess them. “Feminine tissue” = her virginity
“such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to recieve”
ch 11
“doomed’ = it is inevitable, fatalism - could it have been stopped? by alec yes but not by tess, that is the tragedy. Telling us that Tess is a pure woman - doomed to recieve, NOT to accept. Hardy is encouraging his readers to recognise Alec as the villain not Tess - Alec raped Tess and stole her ‘purity’.
“coarse pattern” = physical discomfort as well as psychological torture.
‘“it was to be” there lay the pity of it’
ch 11
Tess had no chance - just like the women before her. Higher class men have taken advantage of women for centuries.
“an immeasureable social chasm was to divide out herione’s personality thereafter from that previous self of hers”
ch11
Tess previous sense of self was her purity and goodness. Tess now adopts these views of herself - blames herself which becomes a bigger part of the tragedy. Fate saw her get raped bur her though process and attitudes (determinism) then dictates her next choices. The social chasm Hard speaks of here is the victorian societal view and attitude to women who are ‘fallen’ or ‘ruined’ (a topic which hardy speaks of in other works such as the ruined maid) - but these attitudes are not cast upon the men who ruin these women. “Our Heroine” reinforces that tess is the tragic hero and heloed audience recognise her purity.
