Concetti Chiave
- Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in a rural village, celebrating rural life with a pessimistic and realistic attitude.
- He was considered the first of the moderns and often offended Victorians, leading to criticism from period moralists.
- Hardy's characters frequently face alienation and struggle against a cruel destiny, with God depicted as indifferent.
- The plot of "Tess d'Auberville" follows Tess, an aristocratic family's eldest daughter, who faces seduction, tragedy, and ultimately murder.
- Tess's story is one of victimhood, where she endures societal and personal hardships leading to her execution after a series of unfortunate events.
What are Thomas Hardy's life and themes?
Thomas Hardy: he was born in 1840 in a rural village. He celebrate the rural life. He is considered the first of the moderns and he have a pessimistic and realistic attitude. He offended many Victorians and for this reason was ridiculed by critics and moralists of the period. For him man is a victim of circumstance and the nature is indifferent to man. His protagonists are often alienated from society. His characters fight a cruel destiny and for him God is indifferent to the humankind’s suffering.
Plot of Tess d'Auberville
Tess d'Auberville: is the story about Tess. She is the oldest daughter of a aristocratic family. To help her irresponsible parents she have to work for a wealthy young man, Alec D’Urberville, who cruelly seduces her. After she leaves him and returns home before giving birth to a sickly child who doesn’t survive long. She finds work in a dairy farm where meets Angel Clare. Both fall in love and Angel asks Tess to marring him. She accept but writes a letter to him in which she reveals her past. On their wedding day she discovers that Angel has never read the letter and for this reason the wedding takes place nonetheless. After Angel discover the Tess’s past. He leaves her and travels overseas. Tess have to work and she go in a faraway part of the country where nobody knows her, but she accidentally meets her old seducer again. D’Urbervill has an hard interest for her. Finally Tess back into is arms because she is forces by her parents, because their haven’t money. But Angel returns at home and discovers Tess with Alec. Desperate Tess kills Alec and follows Angel, who forgives her. After both spend a few days of happiness before the police arrest her. She is found guilty of Alec’s murder and hanged. Tess is a victim of fact.
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the central themes in Thomas Hardy's works?
- How did Thomas Hardy's views affect his reception among Victorians?
- What is the plot of "Tess d'Urberville" and its main character's fate?
Thomas Hardy's works often explore themes of pessimism and realism, portraying man as a victim of circumstance with nature and God being indifferent to human suffering. His protagonists frequently experience alienation from society and struggle against a cruel destiny.
Hardy's pessimistic and realistic attitude offended many Victorians, leading to ridicule from critics and moralists of the period. His portrayal of indifferent nature and the harsh realities faced by his characters challenged the prevailing moral and social norms.
"Tess d'Urberville" follows Tess, the eldest daughter of an aristocratic family, who faces a series of tragic events, including seduction, abandonment, and ultimately murder. Despite moments of love and happiness, Tess is a victim of circumstance and is eventually arrested and hanged for killing her seducer, Alec.