TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES: A REVIEW
I think that it is the best Victorian book ever written. It can be considered revolutionary for THAT era, but may seem conservative to most of the present day readers. It's a book that will make you ponder on so many worthy questions about love, life, freedom, personality, and what not. You'll find yourself digging up in the deep recesses of mind for the answers. You'll empathize with the protagonist, will accept her with all her faults, exaggerate her merits, downplay her demerits. You'll question whether what we have in OUR society is any better or not.
Let's first start with the plot.
The story takes place in an area of England, to the southwest of London in the late 19th Century. This is mainly about a country girl bestowed with all the fine features that were supposed to make a girl beautiful in that Victorian Era- thick long tresses of hair, snowy white satin smooth skin, rosy lips, expressive and large eyes; in short, the Snow White of the era ( by the way, the character of Snow White is not a modern day contraption, in fact, it is an old European tale and was published by the Grimm Brothers in 1812 ). Her father got to know of their lineage with the D'Urbervilles- a powerful knightly family that had died out. He forced his daughter-Tess or Teresa to go work for Alec D'Urbervilles, and charm him into marrying her. But Tess did not fancy Alec, who was an impostor, by the way- his father got rich in business and bought the D'Urbervilles title. Alec got entranced by Tess' beauty and raped and impregnated her. When her parents got to know that she did not take up Alec on his offer of marrying her, they were furious, and her father refused to provide for her child and let it die of sickness. Tess went away from her birthplace to Talbothays, a dairy farm. Here she fell passionately in love with Angel Clare- the Parson's son who wanted to enter into farming. She tried to tell him about her past, but couldn't gather enough courage up until the night they got married. Angel was deeply hurt and abandoned her, leaving her with some money. Tess managed on her own, till Alec came back in her life. She pleaded with Angel to come back to her, but he was too late. Alec forced Tess to marry him by supporting her mother and her siblings when her father passed away. Angel returned and found Tess, only to know she married Alec. Tess, on the other hand, killed Alec because he blinded her with his cruel words about Angel and brainwashing her into marrying him. She and Angel ran away, spend some beautiful days together on the run, but finally got caught up at Stonehenge, where Tess was arrested. She was hanged, and Angel honored her last wish of marrying her sister.
