Tess of the dUrbervilles English IV AP Criticism

Tess of the d’Urbervilles English IV AP

Criticism for Hardy’s Novel The subtitle is “A Pure Woman” n It is novel of seduction, abandonment, and murder n Hardy was harshly criticized in his day by those who argued that Tess could not possibly be considered pure n – – – n She is raped Births a child out of wedlock Commits murder Today, the novel is praised as a courageous call for righting many of ills Hardy found in Victorian society, as well as a link between late-Victorian literature and that of the modern era

The Victorian Period The industrialization of cities was diminishing the quality of life of the inhabitants of rural areas n Hardy explores this idea by contrasting what is rural (and therefore good) with what is urban (and therefore bad). n Tess is unquestioningly innocent, she is “of the field. ” n Hardy calls the Thresher at Flintcomb-Ash “the red tyrant” and says “that the women had come to serve it. ” n – As the old ways fade away, people serve machines and not each other. The Victorian period was also marked by strict adherence to social and moral laws. They preferred not talking about sex…. Hardy thought that produced “a literature of quackery. ” n In the novel, sex is associated with human nature; it is presented as a natural part of life. n – Alec’s seduction takes place in The Chase, an ancient wood that dates back to before the time of established social morality. – Notice the hypocrisy: Tess forgives Angel of his “twenty four hours” of indiscretion, but he cannot forgive her fault.

Women and the Victorian Age n n n n n Hardy considers both the “Rights of Man” and, with equal sympathy, the rights of women Women of the Victorian era were idealized as the helpmate of man, the keeper of the home, and the “weaker sex. ” Heroines in popular fiction were expected to be frail and virtuous (hence the reason why Hardy’s subtitle infuriated his critics) The term Victorian has come to refer to any person or group with a narrow, uncompromising sense of right and wrong. Women were not only discriminated against by the moral code, they were also discriminated against by the legal code of the day. Until the 1880’s, women were unable to hold property in their own name and the wages of rural workers would go directly to their husbands, even if he failed to provide anything for his family. The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 granted the right to divorce to both men and women on the basis of adultery, but, in order to divorce her husband, women had to prove gross cruelty and desertion. Women, like children, were best “seen, but not heard. ” “The Victorian middle-class wife. . . was admired upon her pedestal of moral superiority only so long as she remained there silently. ” – Martin Seymour-Smith

Fate and Destiny n n n n The characters appear to be under the control of a force greater than themselves Tess is frequently called “unlucky” When she is raped, Hardy writes “it was meant to be. ” Numerous events foreshadow Tess’ fall John Durbeyfield’s meeting with the Parson is fate and sets the entire novel on its course Abraham and Tess’ discussion about whether or not they live on a “blighted star. ” Prince’s death—also fate – Causes Tess to feel primarily responsible for her family’s condition, thus she accepts the job against her better judgment.

Knowledge vs. Ignorance n n n n Knowledge, whether from formal education or innate sensibility, causes conflict between those who see the truth of a situation and those who are ignorant. Tess and Angel both feel isolated from their parents who are unable to grasp new ideas The intellectual gap between Tess, who has had formal schooling, and her mother is huge, but Tess’s sense of wrong and right furthers the gap even more. With Angel in particular, Hardy hits on the idea that true knowledge is not just the product of schooling. He contrasts Angel (not a college graduate) with his brother Cuthbert Clare, a classical scholar who marries the “priggish” Mercy Chant. Angel has less formal education, but recognizes Tess’s worth and wisely chooses her over Mercy’s religiosity. When he rejects Tess after their marriage it is because he reverts to his early teachings, the strict, moralistic beliefs of his father.

Natural Law vs. Social Law n n n Hardy’s contrast between knowledge and ignorance allows is also his insistence on a natural law that exists independent of humanity. He repeats several times in the novel that what happens to Tess has not offended nature, but merely society. When she returns home pregnant, she likes to walk alone at night in the countryside away from the disapproving eyes of the townspeople. “She has been made to break an accepted social law but no law known to the environment in which she fancied herself such an anomaly. ” Her shame is a “sense of condemnation under an arbitrary law of society which had no foundation in Nature. ” – Victorian society, with its strict code of appropriate and inappropriate behavior, was anything but natural. – Shame is a product of social conditioning and not simply of human existence.

God and Religion n n The “arbitrary law of society” that Hardy criticizes springs from organized religion His religious characters are pious hypocrites, except for Angel’s father, who appears to have a good heart. The local parson’s hypocritical attitude forces Tess to bury her child in the section of the cemetery reserved for drunkards and suicides Alec’s appearance as a preacher is a thinly disguised criticism of religious convictions that are held for appearance sake. The stifled atmosphere of the Clare’s home is contrasted to the lively atmosphere of the Talbothay’s dairy.