d'Ubervilles

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Data:	15.03.2001
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Schedatura di "Tess of the d'Ubervilles" di Thomas Hardy
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Context

Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840. His father ran a masonry business in a small town in Dorset, England, where he also played the music for a local church. Thomas was a sensitive and intelligent child; he progressed diligently through his studies, and in his early twenties he was apprenticed to an architect in London. But his health suffered in the city, and he finally went back to Dorset to work for an architect named John Hicks. His first published novel appeared in 1871, after which he was able to retire from architecture and work solely on his writing.
Hardy had a deep sense of moral sympathy for England's lower classes, particularly for rural women. He became famous for his compassionate, often controversial portrayal of young women victimized by the self-righteous rigidity of English social morality; perhaps his most famous portayal of such a young woman occurred in 1891's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, the story of the title character's unjust suffering following her premarital sexual encounter with the son of an upper-class merchant. This novel and its successor, 1894's Jude the Obscure, engendered widespread public scandal with their comparatively frank look at the sexual hypocrisy of English society. Hardy was enraged by the controversy caused by his work, and finally abandoned novel writing altogether following 1897's The Well-Beloved. He spent the rest of his career writing poetry; though he is remembered mostly for his novels today, he was an acclaimed poet in his time, and was buried in Westminster Abbey following his death in 1928.

List of Characters For Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Tess Durbeyfield - The novel's protagonist, a beautiful, loyal young woman living with her impoverished family in the village of Marlott. Tess is extremely responsible and is committed to doing the best she can for her family. Her life is complicated when her father discovers he is descended from the noble line of the d'Urbervilles; Tess is sent to work at the d'Urberville mansion. Unfortunately, her ideals cannot prevent her from sliding further and further into misfortune after she becomes pregnant by Alec d'Urberville. The terrible irony is that Tess and her family are not really related to this branch of the d'Urbervilles at all: Alec's father, a merchant named Simon Stokes, simply assumed the name after he retired.

Angel Clare - An intelligent young man who has decided to become a farmer to preserve his intellectual freedom from the pressures of city life. Angel's father and his two brothers are respected clergymen, but Angel's religious doubts have kept him from joining the ministry. He meets Tess when she is a milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy, and quickly falls in love with her.

Alec d'Urberville - The handsome, amoral son of a wealthy merchant named Simon Stokes. Alec is not really a d'Urberville--his father simply took the name of the ancient noble family after he built his mansion and retired. Alec is a manipulative, sinister young man, and does everything he can to seduce the inexperienced when she comes to work for his family. When he finally succeeds--by taking advantage of her while she sleeps--he really tries to help her, but is unable to make her love him.

John Durbeyfield - Tess's father, a lazy peddler in Marlott. John is naturally quick, but he hates work; when he learns that he is descended from the noble line of the d'Urbeyfields, he is quick to make an attempt to profit by the connection.

Joan Durbeyfield - Tess's mother. Joan has a strong sense of propriety and very particular hopes for Tess's life; she is continually disappointed and hurt by the way her daughter's life actually proceeds. But she is also somewhat simple-minded and naturally forgiving, and she is unable to remain angry with Tess--particulary once Tess becomes her primary means of support.

Mrs. d'Urberville - Alec's mother, the widow of Simon Stokes. Mrs. d'Urberville is blind and often ill.

Marian, Izz Huett, and Retty Priddle - Milkmaids Tess befriends at the Talbothays Dairy, and who remain close to her throughout the rest of her life. Marian, Izz, and Retty are all in love with Angel, and take it hard when he chooses Tess over them: Marian turns to drink, Retty attempts suicide, and Izz nearly runs off to Brazil with Angel when he leaves Tess. Nevertheless, they remain helpful to Tess: Marian helps her find a job at a farm called Flintcomb-Ash, and she and Izz write Angel a plaintive letter encouraging him to give Tess another chance.

Reverend Clare - Angel's father, a somewhat intractable but principled clergyman in the town of Emminster. Mr. Clare considers it his duty to convert the populace; one of his most difficult cases proves to be none other than Alec d'Urberville.

Mrs. Clare - Angel's mother, a loving but somewhat snobbish woman who places great stock in social class.

Reverend Felix Clare - Angel's brother, a village curate.

Reverend Cuthbert Clare - Angel's brother, a classical scholar at Cambridge.

Eliza Louisa Durbeyfield - Liza-Lu is Tess's younger sister; Tess believes Liza-Lu has all her good qualities and none of her bad ones, and encourages Angel to look after and even marry Liza-Lu after Tess dies.

Sorrow - Tess's son with Alec d'Urberville; Sorrow dies in his early infancy, after Tess christens him herself. She later buries him herself as well, and decorates his grave.

Mercy Chant - The daughter of a friend of the Reverend Clare. Mr. Clare hopes Angel will marry Mercy, but after Angel marries Tess, she is engaged to Cuthbert instead.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Summary

The poor peddler is stunned to learn that he is the descendent of an ancient noble family, the d'Urbervilles. He and his wife decide to send their oldest daughter, , to the d'Urberville mansion, where they hope will make her fortune. In reality, Mrs. d'Urberville is no relation to Tess at all; her husband, the merchant Simon Stokes, simply changed his name to d'Urberville after he retired. But Tess does not know this, and when the lascivious Alec d'Urberville, Mrs. d'Uberville's son, procures her a job tending fowls on the d'Urberville estate, Tess has no choice but to accept.
After Tess spends several months at this job, Alec finally manages to seduce her, taking advantage of her in the woods one night after a fair. Tess knows she doesn't love Alec, and she returns home to her family to give birth to Alec's child, which she christens . Sorrow dies soon after he is born, and Tess spends a miserable year at home before deciding to seek work elsewhere. She finally accepts a job as a milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy.
At Talbothays, Tess enjoys a period of contentment and happiness. She befriends three of her fellow milkmaids, , , and , and meets a man named with whom she falls in love. They grow closer together throughout Tess's time at Talbothays, and she eventually accepts his proposal to marry him. Still, she is troubled by pangs of conscience and feels she should tell Angel about her past. She tries to write him a confessional note and slip it under his door, but it slides under the carpet; Angel never sees it.
After their wedding, Angel and Tess both confess indiscretions: Angel tells Tess about an affair he had with an older woman in London, and Tess tells Angel about her history with Alec. Tess forgives Angel, but Angel cannot forgive Tess; he gives her some money and boards a ship bound for Brazil, where he thinks he might establish a farm. He tell Tess he will try to accept her past, but warns her not to contact him until he comes for her.
Tess struggles: she has a difficult time finding work, and is forced to take a job at an unpleasant and unprosperous farm. She tries to visit Angel's family, but overhears his brothers discussing Angel's poor marriage, and she leaves. She hears a wondering preacher speak, and is stunned to discover that he is Alec d'Urberville, having been converted to Christianity by Angel's father, the . Alec and Tess are each shaken by their encounter, and Alec appallingly begs Tess never to tempt him again. Soon after, however, he is again begging Tess to marry him, having turned his back on his religious ways.
Tess learns from her sister that her mother is near death, and she is forced to return home to take care of her. Her mother recovers, but her father unexpectedly dies soon after. The family is evicted from their home; Alec offers help, but Tess refuses to accept, knowing he only wants to obligate her to him again.
At last, Angel decides to forgive his wife, and he leaves Brazil desperate to find her. Instead he finds her mother, who tells him Tess has gone to a village called Sandbourne. Here, he finds Tess in an expensive boardinghouse called The Herons, where he tells her he has forgiven her and begs her to take him back. Tess tells him he has come too late; she was unable to resist, and went back to Alec d'Urberville. Angel leaves in a daze; heartbroken to the point of madness, Tess goes upstairs and stabs her lover to death. When the landlady finds Alec's body, she raises and alarm, but Tess has already fled to find Angel.
Angel agrees to help her, though he cannot quite believe that she has actually murdered Alec. They hide out in an empty mansion for a few days, then travel further. When they come to Stonehenge, they go to sleep; in the morning, they are discovered by a search party. Tess is arrested and sent to jail. Angel and Liza-Lu watch as the black flag is raised over the prison, signaling Tess's execution.