Tess Flashcards
How does Hardy present Tess as a mythical heroine? (4 points)
Hardy makes Tess into somewhat of a mythic heroine
Her name, formally Theresa, recalls St. Teresa of Avila, another martyr whose vision of a higher reality cost her her life
Other characters often refer to Tess in mythical terms:
+ Chapter 14 - her eyes are “neither black nor blue nor grey nor violet; rather all these shades together,” like “an almost standard woman.”
+ Chapter 18 - Angel calls her a “Daughter of Nature”
+ Chapter 20 - Greek mythological names “Artemis” and “Demeter”
Tess’s story may thus be a “standard” story, representing a deeper and larger experience than that of a single individual
What is the social symbolism of Tess as a character? (5 points)
Tess represents the changing role of the agricultural workers in England in the late nineteenth century
She has passed the Sixth Standard of the National Schools, possessing education that her parents lack
However, Tess does not quite fit into the folk culture of her predecessors, but financial constraints keep her from rising to a higher station in life
Chapter 16:
“She tried several ballads, but found them inadequate” - she seems not quite comfortable with those popular songs
She symbolises unclear and unstable notions of class in 19th century Britain:
+ Old family lines retained their earlier glamour
+ Cold economic realities made sheer wealth more important than inner nobility
What is the religious significance of Tess? (3 points)
Tess represents fallen humanity in a religious sense - indicated through biblical allusions
Adam and Eve, expelled from Eden, made humans sad shadows of what they once were - resembles how Tess’s clan was once glorious and powerful but is now sadly diminished
Tess represents original sin
+ The degraded state in which all humans live even when they aren’t entirely responsible for the sins for which they are punished
+ E.g. Tess after killing Prince or succumbing to Alec
