Other editions of book Tess of d'Ubervilles: Student and Teacher Edition

"Tess of the d'Urbervilles" (1891) is a novel by Thomas Hardy. Tess Durbeyfield is the oldest child of John and Joan, uneducated peasants living in an impoverished rural village in Wessex, during the Long Depression of the 1870s. One day, her father is given the hint that they may have noble blood and that they are successors of a noble Norman family D'Urberville. Tess' fortune is changed after one accident and she decides to visit Mrs. D'Urberville, a rich widow who lives in the nearby town, and "claim kin". Though now considered a major nineteenth-century English novel and Hardy's masterpiece, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" originally received mixed reviews because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England.

Hardy tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a beautiful young woman living with her impoverished family in Wessex, the southwestern English county immortalized by Hardy. After the family learns of their connection to the wealthy d’Urbervilles, they send Tess to claim a portion of their fortune. She meets and is seduced by the dissolute Alec d’Urberville and secretly bears a child, Sorrow, who dies in infancy. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer Tess love and salvation, but he rejects her — on their wedding night — after learning of her past. Emotionally bereft, financially impoverished, and victimized by the self-righteous rigidity of English social morality, Tess escapes from her vise of passion through a horrible, desperate act.Like the greatest characters in literature, Tess lives beyond the final pages of the book as a permanent citizen of the imagination. —Irving HoweWhat a commonplace genius he has; or a genius for the commonplace — I don’t know which. —D. H. LawrenceThe greatest tragic writer among English novelists. —Virginia WoolfA singular beauty and charm. —Henry James

A pretty young girl has to leave home to make money for her family. She is clever and a good worker; but she is uneducated and does not know the cruel ways of the world. So, when a rich young man says he loves her, she is careful - but not careful enough. He is persuasive, and she is overwhelmed. It is not her fault, but the world says it is. Her young life is already stained by men’s desires, and by death.

This special edition contains edits specifically aimed at assisting readers in understanding the classic text, preparing students for examinations, or providing lesson plans for teachers. This book is ideal for readers in high school, college, or otherwise seeking an easier understanding of a classic text. Original additions may include notes, lessons, and activities designed to foster understanding at key points in the story and at critical chapters. As an educator, I believe that older works of literature must be introduced into new generations. This belief has guided my editing of the original source material. Enjoy this classic piece of literature with an appreciation fostered by greater understanding and insight!

Thomas Hardy, the great, reluctant writer during Victorian England, wove tales of common people struggling in a harsh society fixated on a pretense of morality and uptight social conventions. Tess of the d'Ubervilles, certainly his most famous and possibly his greatest novel, stirred quite a bit of controversy after its initial publication. Hardy wrote about the injustices and blatant hypocrisy that rose out of Victorian English society, and was especially sympathetic of the plight of poor women who were dominated not only by men, but by an unfair moral and legal system.Tess of the d'Ubervilles is set in rural England. Tess Durbeyfield is a poor maiden in England at a time where social status meant everything. Her father, a peddler, finds out he is related to a noble family, the d'Ubervilles. Hoping to secure his daughter's future and fortune, he sends her off to live and work for the d'Ubervilles. What Mr. Durbeyfield does not realize is that while his family is indeed of an aristocratic lineage, the wealthy d'Ubervilles are not: Mr. d'Uberville simply changed his name.When Tess arrives at the d'Uberville estate, she tends to the family's fowls and catches the eye of Mrs. d'Ubervilles dashing son, Alec. One night, alone with Alec in a carriage after returning from a fair, Tess succumbs to Alec. Was she raped or seduced? Sadly, it does not matter how it happened, Tess has been forever tainted and returns home, pregnant with an illegitimate child. And this is only the beginning of Tess's journey.Hardey writes a heartbreaking tragedy about a naïve girl who has no chance against the stringent conventions 19th century English society. A critique of England's upper-classes, Tess is also a sweeping story with twists and turns and an ending no one saw coming. Tess of the d'Ubervilles is one of the great literary masterpieces of the 19th century.

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, subtitled "A Pure Woman," is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy's novels.

Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When Tess meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice. Hardy's indictment of society's double standards, and his depiction of Tess as "a pure woman," caused controversy in his day and has held the imagination of readers ever since. Hardy thought it his finest novel, and Tess the most deeply felt character he ever created.