Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Having just learned from an antiquarian-inclined country parson that his forebears had been loyal knights to several English kings, Jack Durbeyfield, the haggler, lies down on a roadside bank of grass and orders a passing lad to have a horse and carriage sent for him, with a small bottle of rum, and to have Mrs Durbeyfield prepare him dinner. Thus begins the tale of Tess Durbeyfield's family in Thomas Hardy's best-known, best-loved, and in many ways most complex novel. The idyllic “beautiful Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor” (9) in Hardy's legendary Wessex, mapped out in picturesque, if also rather impersonal, details in chapter two, seems to warrant the fulfilment of fairytale dreams for its inhabitants. Nonetheless, the early chapters are punctuated by episodes revealing Tess's…

3099 words

Citation: Schneider, Ana-Karina. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 February 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1679, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1679 Tess of the D'Urbervilles 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.