Tess of the D'Urbervilles Quotes - Phase the First (The Maiden) Flashcards
A quote from Chapter One from Parson Tringham to John Durbeyfield after having told him of his D’Urberville ancestry, Durbeyfield asking whether his prior status will ever be restored, to which to parson replies in the negative, suggesting there are many with similar lost ancestry. The fact that Durbeyfield fails to “chasten” himself with the idea, sending Tess off to recover the ancestry, is a potential peripeteia for Tess. Note the juxtaposition between “mighty” and “fallen”, as well as the Biblical quote “how are mighty the fallen”, spoken to David after the death of King Saul of Israel, giving Durbeyfield a warning that he does not heed
“Oh - nothing, nothing; except chasten yourself with the thought of ‘how are the mighty fallen’”
A quote from Chapter One from John Durbeyfield after his encounter with the parson, speaking to a boy travelling along the road, whom he asks to get for him a carriage. Tess’ peripeteia, and thus her tragedy, can be said to be the result of her own father’s greed and avarice - he does not heed the parson’s warning and sends his daughter off, thus leading to her paying the price. Note the distinctly hyperbolic language and comparative adjectives, as well as the fact that the statement is categorically untrue
“Under the church… lie my ancestors - hundreds of ‘em in coats of mail and jewels, in great lead coffins weighing tons and tons. There’s not a man in the country o’ South-Wessex that’s got grander and nobler skellingtons than I”
A quote from Chapter Four from Tess, after her father returns home from the pub too drunk to drive a collection of beehives to Casterbridge, suggesting Tess’ hamartia to be hubris and that she brings about her own peripeteia by means of his by causing Prince’s death. Note the tone of embarrassment with exclamative “Oh no”, as well as tentative verb “could”
“‘Oh no - I wouldn’t have it for the world!’ declared Tess proudly. ‘And letting everybody know the reason - such a thing to be ashamed of! I think I could go…’”
A quote from Chapter Four suggesting fate to play a role in Tess’ downfall as she and Abraham drive toward Casterbridge with the beehives. “Stars” references fate while “pulses […] beating” suggests that they are alive. However, the “cold” nature and “dissociation” suggest them to be uncaring and ambivalent toward Tess, a mere “wisp” in the “black hollows” of the universe
“He […] made observations on the stars, whose cold pulses were beating amid the black hollows above, in serene dissociation from these two wisps of human life”
A quote from Chapter Four as Tess and Abraham travel to Casterbridge with Prince and discuss the nature of their world. The quote suggests Tess to be haunted by a malevolent fate, having been born into a world of suffering. The idea that other worlds are more “splendid and sound” furthers the unlucky nature of this suffering
‘Like the apples on our stubbard-tree. Most of them splendid and sound - a few blighted’
‘Which do we live on […]?’
‘A blighted one’
A quote from Chapter Four as Tess’ family bury the dead Prince, their only source of income. The event prefigures Tess’ later actions of murder as a result of the malevolent fate which encircles her
Her face was dry and pale, as though she regarded herself in the light of a murderess
A quote from Chapter Five as Tess arrives at the D’Urberville house, seeking out her ancestry. The setting used by Hardy of harsh contrast to the verdant surroundings, in addition to the connotations of its “crimson” colour, reflects the ‘new money’ nature of Alec D’Urberville and his nature as an imposter in the D’Urberville family lineage
It was of recent erection - indeed almost new - and of the same rich crimson colour that formed such a contrast with the evergreens of the lodge
A quote from Chapter Five given by the OMNISCIENT NARRATOR as Tess is fed strawberries in a hypnotised state by Alec. The omniscient narrator incites tension and prefigures later events by warning the reader of Alec’s nature as the destroyer of her happiness. Note the metaliterary language of “tragic mischief” and the occurrence of the motif of red blood
There behind the blue narcotic haze sat the ‘tragic mischief’ of her drama - he who was to be the blood-red ray in the spectrum of her young life
A quote from Chapter Five, a description of Alec from the first time Tess meets him. His description is one of villainy, with adjectives such as “swarthy” suggesting a latent evil to hide behind his appearance
He had an almost swarthy complexion, with full lips, badly moulded, though red and smooth… Despite the touches of barbarism in his contours, there was a singular force in… his bold, rolling eye
A quote from Chapter Nine as Tess lies under the trees of the Chase just prior to the rape. Words such as “poised”, “gentle”, “nap” and “hopping” connote tranquility and peace, creating a stark contrast between the violence of the act taking place below. The quote paints nature and fate, to whom Tess places optimal trust, not to care for her, creating intense pathos
Above them rose the […] Chase, in which were poised gentle roosting birds in their last nap; and around them the hopping rabbits and hares”
