Tess of the d'Urbervilles Contents
- Social / political context
- Religious / philosophical context
- Chapters 1-9
- Chapters 10-19
- Chapters 20-29
- Chapters 30-39
- Chapters 40-49
- Chapters 50-59
- Tess as a 'Pure Woman'
- Tess as a secular pilgrim
- Tess as a victim
- The world of women
- Tess as an outsider
- Coincidence, destiny and fate
- Disempowerment of the working class
- Heredity and inheritance
- Laws of nature vs. laws of society
- Modernity
- Nature as sympathetic or indifferent
- Patterns of the past
- Sexual predation
- Inner conflicts: body against soul
Sample questions
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In what ways might knowledge of the social context in which Tess of the d'Urbervilles was written and first published contribute to an understanding of the novel?
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Discuss the ways in which Hardy uses the different locations of Tess of the d'Urbervilles in order to emphasise the themes of the novel.
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What might Angel recount in telling the story of his life and Tess's? How would this help the reader to understand the themes of the novel?
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Describe the narrative structure of Tess of the d'Urbervilles and discuss how it may affect the reader's understanding of the novel.
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To what extent is it useful to see the narrative of Tess of the d'Urbervilles in terms of a quest or a pilgrimage?
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Explore the relationship between Tess and the communities in which she lives. Would you say she belongs to them?
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Discuss the ways in which Hardy compares and contrasts Alec and Angel.
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What are the causes of Tess's feelings of guilt and hesitation? How does Hardy present them and their consequences?
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How does Hardy show the relationship of Tess to her family?
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Discuss Hardy's narrative method in terms of its silences, ambiguities and ironies.
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‘A male author can never fully expect to portray a woman as she really is.' Discuss this in reference to Hardy's portrayal of Tess.
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Explore the relationship between Tess, time and history.
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In what ways does Hardy relate Tess to nature?
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What patterns of time does Hardy reveal in Tess of the d'Urbervilles? To what extent are such patterns harmful to Tess?
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How do you respond to the view that the novel shows “the destruction of the English
peasantry”?
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