2021 EDIT: 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' is a good book, but not one I am comfortable reading now. As well as the nineteenth century sexism (it affirms the idea that women are, by nature, subservient, soft, weak and need men; notably, the patriarchy really hates older women as much as young and "pure" women, doesn't it? It hates all women, but those who dare to be over thirty especially bare the brunt for their existing), and the story about a poor innocent woman's life being destroyed utterly by the patriarchy and every man she knows, there were all those words used that I'd never heard of before, and strange phrases. It wasn't too confusing or boring, but it put me off somewhat.
The poor young victim Tess is abused and objectified constantly by men (her father the idiot, Alec the predator and monster, Angel the idiot, hypocrite and prick, etc), and is blamed for all of their crap which they put her through, both consciously and unconsciously. Her suffering is their fault, not hers. I'm not sure if the narrative entirely sees it that way, however. Furthermore, Thomas Hardy didn't seem to think that, *gasp*, maybe Tess would have been better off unmarried, and away from these toxic men. Her story is a tragedy, but the possibility of her being a spinster would not have been a part of that.
And 'Tess' is a tragedy, true to form. But I still don't like the characters much, nor the overall attitude, which, while critical of society and its double standards, is still not free of victim blaming women.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
A classic my mother recommended to me. She read it ages ago and said it was very sad and harrowing. I actually had this book in my to-read shelf for a while, hesitant to read a long classic while I was so busy. But when I finally got around to reading it, I'm glad I did. It reminded me of the staying power some classic novels have, thus some are labelled timeless classics.
Now, I admit I didn't find 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' nearly as depressing or harrowing as my mum did, though maybe that was due to the fact that I knew it would end tragically. I still enjoyed it despite this and the writing - which over-describes settings and unimportant things. Most classics are like that anyway, and don't deter from the story and the abundance of characters.
Everyone is realistically flawed in 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', including Tess herself. The unfortunate situations she finds herself in all start when it is discovered that her family name, Durbeyfield, comes from D'Urberville - a name of a noble Knight from the past. If only that priest had not said anything to her father on the first page! Names no longer matter and they can be taken by anybody; Thomas Hardy shows this clearly and brilliantly through what happens to poor Tess.
At the beginning of the book she is a happy and dancing country girl, with likes and dislikes. Above all she possess a strength and will of her own. She tries to keep that strength throughout her story. She moves on, she works hard, she finds hope and falls in love for real. Whenever I found her to be needy and whiny, I reminded myself of this: Tess. Never. Gives. Up. Any other woman of her time would have given up in her terrible circumstances, but Tess tries to maintain her dignity and right to exist. She doesn't want to let her ill-luck destroy her youth and spirit. Even near the end when it seems she has finally abandoned the idea of everything, including love and receiving forgiveness, she has spunk - though it is here she reaches breaking point, and commits a truly criminal act (nothing to do with her "purity" and her being a woman) that will lead to her tragic end.
Her true love, Angel Clare (an odd yet squee-worthy name), seems at first to be every woman's dream man. He is kind and helpful. Nearly every female at the dairy Tess works in from chapter 16 onward fancies him; this is where Tess and he meet a second time (the first being the dancing circle in chapter 2, where he didn't partner with her). But in spite of his claims that he is a progressive human being with no inclination to social prejudices, through Tess Angel Clare soon realises his hypocrisies. He is as stuck in the old ways as his parents. Angel Clare (I can't get enough of typing that name) will learn to trust his own feelings and not care what others think. But it is too little too late for him to prevent Tess's fate.
There are a lot of religious text references throughout 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', put there to perhaps challenge their meanings and relevance. The book's "Phase"'s are called "The Maiden", "Maiden no More", "The Rally", "The Consequence", "The Woman Pays", "The Convent", and "Fulfilment".
It can be interpreted that Hardy wrote this story not just to show the downfall of a woman, but to convey that all woman, as human beings, have a right to be forgiven despite their pasts. Too often they are the victims of something that is not their fault, thus we should not blame them anymore than we would blame a man in a similar situation. Don't judge - love.
This is demonstrated when Angel Clare's own judgments and hypocrisies come to light, shaped by fear of appearances and what a nonaccepting society might think.
To conclude the review, 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' is a noteworthy classic that still holds relevance to this day. Backed up by a memorable and likeable heroine with low luck but high spirits.
Whether it is a feminist text in this day and age depends on who you ask. And it is long. But it comes close to being a groundbreaking novel.
Final Score: 4/5
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