Tess of the D'Urbervilles Flashcards
What are two quotes for Tess?
“I feel what a nothing I am”
“Hunted soul”
What is the analysis of “I feel what a nothing I am”?
This quote shows that Tess is conscious of her pain and knows that her life is meaningless. Despite her youth, Tess understands that the world where she lives is a blighted one.
What is the analysis of “Hunted soul”?
Tess stumbles upon pheasants dying at the end of Chapter 41. Throughout the novel, we see so many scenes of farm life, but we never witness killing. Farming is associated with production, never loss or sacrifice. Hunting, however, unnecessarily kills. Tess killing the suffering birds suggests that she is killing the part of herself that has been hurt so badly. Her later punishment for the murder she committed will snap her neck, just like she did to the pheasants.
What is one quote for Angel?
“Arms are like wet marble”
What is the analysis of “Arms are like wet marble”?
This quote links to the story of Pygmalion. In this, an artist falls in love with a statue that he carved, so the Roman Goddess Venus brings it to life for him. Angel uses Tess to romanticise pastoral life, objectifying her in the process.
What is one quote for Alec?
“Alec picks a fresh strawberry off a bush and tangles it in front of Tess’s lips”
What is the analysis of “Alec picks a fresh strawberry off a bush and tangles it in front of Tess’s lips”?
Alec steals Tess’s innocence and abuses her trust. This phrase is also an example of the male gaze. Strawberries are a symbol of sex and promiscuity. Their redness alludes to passion and also foreshadows danger.
What are two contexts relating to Tess of the D’Urbervilles?
- 1895 Clergyman Court Case.
- Feminist Criticism.
What is the 1895 Clergyman Court Case?
In Hardy’s time rape was defined as “the offence of having unlawful and carnal knowledge of a woman against her will”. However, rape was extremely hard to prove and convictions were extremely rare. Young children were most likely to be believed when cases came to court; the older the victim, the less likely the chance of conviction.
In Victorian and Edwardian trials, the respectability of the female victim was weighed up with the character of that accused. In order to be believed, female victims had to demonstrate innocence and respectability. Even being able to clearly describe what the man had done was interpreted as inappropriate sexual knowledge and proof that the girl wasn’t innocent.
For example, an 1895 case of a well-known Clergyman was dismissed after the defence argued the unlikelihood of him committing such an act, especially after coming from a funeral.
What is Feminist Criticism?
Hardy clearly worked hard at defending Tess’s purity and the morality of the novel itself. Many critics have now come to realise that in putting Tess, in a sense, on trial, it is ‘purity’ itself and the right to define it that is in fact tried. If the novel is read in this way, it is possible to see Tess of D’Urbervilles as a feminist text. This is because the society that damns Tess as impure is patriarchal. She is too complex a woman to be understood by a society that classifies women as “whores”.
However, many feminist critics still consider the novel to be misogynistic. They argue that Tess is treated as a spectacle and presented as an object for display. This is partially because she is a woman, viewed within the male gaze, but Hardy’s visual approach makes it seem especially forceful.
What is one example of further reading for Tess of D’Urbervilles?
The Ruined Maid.
Jane Eyre
The Handmaid’s Tale
How does ‘The Ruined Maid’ link to Tess of D’Urbervilles?
Hardy’s own ‘The Ruined Maid’ provides an obvious connection with Tess of D’Urbervilles, although the speaker is much more open about her ‘ruin’ than Tess. Hardy refuses to condemn the fallen women in either of the texts. The quote, “didn’t you know I’d been ruined,” shows this openness.
How does ‘Jane Eyre’ link to Tess of D’Urbervilles?
Jane Eyre and Tess of the D’Urbervilles both centre on strong, morally complex female protagonists navigating a world dominated by patriarchal power. Both women are judged harshly by the moral standards of their time, Tess for her perceived loss of purity, and Jane for asserting independence and choosing love on her own terms. Themes of religion, sexuality, and the consequences of female virtue also run through both novels. However, while Tess is ultimately crushed by the forces around her, Jane finds a way to reconcile love and freedom, offering a more hopeful ending. The contrast in their outcomes highlights the varying possibilities for women in the 19th century, while their shared struggles showcase the oppressive moral codes governing women’s lives.
What are four critical interpretations of Tess of D’Urbervilles?
- “To read Alec as a racist is to grossly underestimate him. Like Satan, the role he jestingly but also revealingly plays, he seeks not to pinion the body of his victim but to master her mind, to exploit her weakness” - James Hefferson.
- “The question raised by the novel is this: what would a woman be if she were released from male oppression and allowed to be herself?” - Martin Seymour-Smith.
- “He (Hardy) hovers and watches over Tess like a stricken father” - A. Alvarez.
- “Landscape is continually brought to life… in order to deepen and intensify whatever it is that Tess is experiencing” - A. Alvarez.
