"Tess of the D'Urbervilles"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyses Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" and in particular looks at how it was considered as one of the most controversial texts of its time due to its content of sex and sexuality. Through a close analysis of the text and its cultural context, it examines how this novel evokes the claustrophobia of the Victorian age and how we are drawn to Tess as our tragic heroine and empathize with her as she struggles against society and fate, as an anachronism in her own time.

From the Paper:

"Throughout the novel, Hardy focuses on Tess' appearance, mirroring, and possibly mocking the Victorian expectation of woman; conservative, mindless, beautiful. Tess' first appearance is no exception, with a lingering, extravagant description of her face, but even this early on, we are given clues regarding the somewhat radical personality that lurks beneath the reserved exterior. Red is the color of danger, menace and passion. That Tess wears this color bow in her hair is significant amongst the virginal white of her fellow club-walkers. There is a contrast between her "innocent eyes" (p.26) and the bold statement the color red makes. This is reminiscent of the struggle between two extremes that Tess experiences throughout the text."

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