Historical Context
Tess of
the d’Urbervilles was published in 1891 and is one of Thomas Hardy’s
most famous novels. It is a staunch criticism of the sexual and social hypocrisy
found in English society in Hardy’s time, owing to the main character’s
unjust suffering from a past which she cannot escape. Hardy’s critique stems
from his deep moral sympathy for the lower classes, especially women. This novel
was highly controversial in its time, due to its portrayal of how the rigidity
of the English moral code spins Tess into an endless and tragic spiral. The
novel’s successor, Jude the Obscure, published in 1894, also caused a
sensation due to its honest look at how the self-righteousness of the upper
classes had unfortunate results.
Above all, the
novel criticizes the strict Victorian moral code, with its bias against women
and the lower classes. Alec d’Urberville and Angel Clare are both characters,
representative of their social classes in their relations with Tess. Angel’s
family initially shuns his marriage to a country girl, though they might be more
favorable to learn that Tess is a d’Urberville. The greatest irony of the
novel, however, is that Alec is not even a true d’Urberville, meaning that
Tess’ attempts to claim kin are fruitless from the very beginning. Hardy
unravels this tragic novel as a commentary on how the pursuit of a noble blood
line can have disastrous and painful outcomes.
