THOMAS HARDY

(1840-1928)

Fact File

Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset, the son of a stonemason who encouraged Hardy's early interest in books. When in London as a young architect, Hardy continued adding to his store of reading. His forth novel "Far from the Madding Crowd" (1874) brought him success and enough money to enable him to abandon architecture for writing. A life of a famous writer followed.

A highly successful writer, Thomas Hardy died, loaded with honors in 1928.

Work

"The Wessex Novels"

"Under the Greenwood Tree"

"Far from the Madding Crowd"

"The Return of the Nativ 21121s184v e"

"Tess of the d'Urbervilles"

"Jude the Obscure"

Point of view

Omniscient-"the writer seems to know everything about everything".

Explanatory Note to the First Edition

"I will just add that the story is sent out in all sincerity of purpose, as an attempt to give artistic form to true sequence of things; and in respect of the book's opinions and sentiments, I would ask my genteel reader, who cannot endure to have said what everybody nowadays thinks and feels, to remember a well-worn sentence of St. Jerome's: If an offence come out of the truth, better is it that the offence come than that the truth be concealed."

Preface to the Fifth and Later Edition

"Let me repeat that a novel is an impression, not an argument; and there the matter must rest; as one is reminded by a passage that occurs in the letters of Schiller to Goethe: As soon as I observe that anyone, when judging of poetical representations, considers anything more important that the inner Necessity and Truth, I have done with him."

Plot

"A Pure Woman", the sub-title of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", was added by Hardy after reading the final proofs of the book. It tells of the ambitions of lovely Tess Durbeyfield to establish a connection with the aristocratic d'Urberville family, an ambition born when a clergyman suggests that her family may be of noble descent. From this simple conceit, Tess is propelled by Fate to a tragic end. She is seduced by the d'Urberville, a young man of means, whose title to the ancient name is questionable. She bears his child, who dies after an improvised baptism, then goes to work on a prosperous farm as a dairymaid. There she meets Angel Clare, a clergyman's son with whom she falls deeply in love and whom she marries. On their wedding night they indulge in mutual confessions and Clare cannot forgive Tess for the past. He deserts Tess and her, believing that Clare will never come back, returns to Alec d'Urberville as his mistress. Some years later, Clare returns repentant, and Tess, desperate not to lose him again, stabs and kills Alec. Tess and Alec enjoy a very brief period together before Tess will be caught at Stonehenge. Justice will take its inevitable course.

Introduction to the Wordsworth Classics-Thomas Hardy:" Tess of the d'Urbervilles"

Literary Analysis

An established idea in Thomas Hardy's novels is that man is a puppet of Destiny. But if in the tragism of the Antiquity Fortune was dictated by the almighty gods, with Thomas Hardy it is Blind Destiny which keeps guiding and influencing the lives of the characters in spite of their trying to escape it. The penultimate chapter of the book presents us the two lovers, now fugitives from the law of society, finding shelter on a large plain in the only place that looked like a kind of refuge:" The place was all doors and pillars, some connected above by continuous architraves". It was Stonehenge, the teple used by the people for their bringing homage to the merciless gods, the prehistoric place of worship and sacrifice.

Tired Tess finds the place and rests on a piece of stone being guarded by the silent rocks. Fire, Water, Air seem to be united in their wish to protect "the innocent" victim.

The rays of the sun linger a little before appearing while "the night wind died out and the quivering little pools in the cup-like hollows of the stones lay still. "Nature, which always acts in accordance with the characters, tries once more to fight against the inevitable punishment. The Great Plain itself is described as being full of taciturnity and reserve, dark and calm adding to the majestic image of the Sun Stone and the Sun of Sacrifice. We visualise the huge pillars that fill us with awe and respect, giant symbols of an unknown, powerful Force that contrasts with the tiny creatures who tries to escape for a few moments in the peaceful realm of sleep. But it is no time for sleep. The men of law appear everywhere on the Plain surrounding them. Both men and pillars from a circle round Tess, the law of Destiny and the law of Man being at last one. Trying to find a means to escape, "anything", Angel finally understands that Tess's story was really true. But was Tess guilty?

In the eyes of Law she is a criminal, under the force of Blind Destiny a victim and in front of her lover a simple woman willing to defend and to keep the only happy moments of her life: "Angel, I am almost glad- yes glad! This happiness could not have lasted. It was too much! I have had enough; and now I shall not live for you to despise me!"

Some brief lines are enough for the writer to make the reader grasp the deep feeling between the two lovers. Angel wants to find any means to protect her and, being powerless, he implores the officers to let her have one more moment of peace. Bending over her he holds her little hand, gently trying to soothe her. Tess values her love more than her life itself and the memories left in the mind and soul of her beloved are the most precious things she could have.

In this highly dramatic scene Hardy succeeds to introduce an almost poetic way of relating things. The impressive atmosphere of mystery and spell is rendered by the chromatic elements. The colors change from complete dark bordered with silver to gray and white. The minute of stillness seems to be almost unreal as if coming from a strange unearthly word full of "stones glistening green gray" and populated with alien beings having "their faces and hands as if silvered". When Tess leaves her shelter the light invades the Plain and rays that have woken her bring reality back. Tess goes to her death full of dignity and pride knowing what suffering, humiliation, love, admiration, friendship is, knowing that Death will be faced without any regret or sorrow, but for us the question still remains. Is Tess guilty or not?

Suggested Topics for Composition

Comment upon Stonehenge being the place where Tess was taken by the men-of-law. Write about 30 lines.

Continue the story with the following beginning: "Feeling sideways they encountered another tower-like pillar."

Do not write more than 200 words.

3. You are one of the officers who participated in the capturing of Tess. Relate what

happened, describing the setting in which the events took place.