Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Wordsworth Classics)

Introduction and Notes by Michael Irwin, Professor of English Literature, University of Kent at Canterbury

Set in Hardy's Wessex, Tess is a moving novel of hypocrisy and double standards. Its challenging sub-title, A Pure Woman, infuriated critics when the book was first published in 1891, and it was condemned as immoral and pessimistic.

Key Themes and Storyline

• The novel tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager, who learns that she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urbeville.
• In her search for respectability, her fortunes fluctuate wildly, and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy.
• Tess's relationships with two very different men are explored, as well as her struggle against the social mores of the rural Victorian world she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age.

Hardy’s Masterful Evocation

In addressing the double standards of the time, Hardy’s masterly evocation of a world which we have lost provides one of the most compelling stories in the canon of English literature. Its appeal today continues to defy the judgement of Hardy’s contemporary critics.