Tess of The D'Urbervilles

A heart-breaking portrayal of a woman faced by an impossible choice in the pursuit of happiness. “Why didnt you tell me there was danger in men-folk? Why didnt you warn me?” Tess Durbeyfield the young graceful and virtuous daughter of a poor peddler falls prey to the unscrupulous desires of Alec dUrberville the rich and licentious heir of the d’Urberville estate where she is sent to work as a farmhand. After giving birth to his son who dies in a few weeks Tess joins a dairy farm outside the village working as a milkmaid. Her life seems to change for good when she meets angel Clare the progressive son of a Parson who falls in love with her and wants to marry her. But as their wedding date approaches Tess finds herself on the horns of a dilemma overshadowed by the bitter truth of her past. A victim of the nineteenth-century English social morality what sort of future awaits Tess? Received critically by the readers of his era Thomas Hardy’s Tess of d’urbervilles is a heart-rending tragedy. Listed among the best-loved novels of all time on the big read a survey conducted by BBC the novel has undergone numerous adaptations and continues to appeal to its readers.