Tess of the d'Urbervilles Contributor(s): Hardy, Thomas (Author), Irwin, Michael (Introduction by), Irwin, Michael (Notes by) |
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ISBN: 1853260053 ISBN-13: 9781853260056 Publisher: Wordsworth Editions OUR PRICE: $6.29 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 1992 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Classics |
Dewey: FIC |
Lexile Measure: 1110 |
Series: Wordsworth Classics |
Physical Information: 0.79" H x 5" W x 7.82" (0.52 lbs) 384 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles |
Accelerated Reader Info |
Quiz #: 5998 Reading Level: 9.5 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 23.0 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Introduction and Notes by Michael Irwin, Professor of English Literature, University of Kent at Canterbury. Set in Hardy's Wessex, Tess is a moving novel of hypocrisy and double standards. Its challenging sub-title, A Pure Woman, infuriated critics when the book was first published in 1891, and it was condemned as immoral and pessimistic. It tells of Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager, who learns that she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urbeville. In her search for respectability her fortunes fluctuate wildly, and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy. It explores Tess's relationships with two very different men, her struggle against the social mores of the rural Victorian world which she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age. In addressing the double standards of the time, Hardy's masterly evocation of a world which we have lost, provides one of the most compelling stories in the canon of English literature, whose appeal today defies the judgement of Hardy's contemporary critics. |