Tess of the d'Urbervilles

哈代Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaMar 2020

Rating 4.4
Word count
304K words
Chapters
70
ISBN
9787531353874

Tags

Foreign Literature Love EntanglementsSocial CritiqueMoral DilemmaVictorian EraFemale Perspective

Summary

Tess of the d'Urbervilles is the most celebrated novel by Thomas Hardy, a giant of English literature, and part of the Wessex series. Tess is born into a poor farming family; pure and beautiful, she is descended from an ancient noble line. At her parents' urging, the unworldly Tess goes to claim kinship with wealthy relatives for the sake of the family's livelihood, only to be seduced by the dissolute Alec d'Urberville, her supposed cousin. Defiant, Tess refuses to become Alec's mistress and returns home, but she is gradually shunned by the whole village, and the child she bears soon dies. Grieving, Tess leaves home to work as a dairymaid at a dairy in an unfamiliar place. There she meets the love of her life, Angel Clare. Clare shines like warm sunlight into her young life, yet Tess is tormented by self-doubt over her past. On their wedding night, she finally summons the courage to confess everything to Clare, and is plunged into endless darkness...

Editor's review

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy's masterpiece, is celebrated as one of the most moving tragedies in the history of English literature. The novel does more than recount the sorrowful fate of a country girl; through the experiences of Tess Durbeyfield, it probes the fierce conflict between Victorian social morality, class prejudice and individual destiny. Hardy's delicate, poetic prose renders the Wessex countryside an organic part of the characters' fates, with the shifting landscape mirroring their inner lives and deepening the tragic force of the work.

In literary terms, Hardy displays a superb command of psychological portraiture in Tess, plumbing the inner world of a woman to a depth rarely reached before. The novel's subtitle, "A Pure Woman," is itself a challenge to the moral standards of the age: through Tess's ordeal Hardy sharply indicts hypocritical religious dogma and social prejudice. The naturalistic strain and fatalism of the book leave readers, even as they sympathize with Tess, to ponder the individual's powerlessness within the social structure.

The Chunfeng Wenyi Publishing House edition deserves attention for the quality of its text and translation. A good translation can faithfully convey Hardy's plain yet literary style and the fine symbolism and metaphor of the work. For modern readers, Tess is not only a classic of literature but a mirror in which to reflect on enduring questions of social convention, gender roles and moral judgment.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. As you read, note how Hardy uses descriptions of nature to set off his characters' moods and the turns of their fate
  2. Pay attention to those seemingly accidental events that prove far-reaching, and consider Hardy's fatalism
  3. Understand Tess's ordeal against the social background of the Victorian era, and reflect on its modern relevance

About the publisher

Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1959

Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House is a local professional literature and art publisher focusing mainly on modern and contemporary literary works, while also publishing classical literature, foreign literature, and books on culture and the arts. Its well-known brands include the "Cloth Tiger Series" and the "Little Cloth Tiger Series." Judging from the 257 titles in the database, its publishing scope covers social novels, classic works, classical literature, foreign literature, folk literature, and philosophy. Representative books include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering, Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West, Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, and foreign classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Don Quixote, and The Golden Rose. Its authors include leading Chinese and foreign writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Feng Zikai, Wu Cheng'en, and Jane Austen, reflecting a publishing profile that combines Chinese classics with world literary masterpieces.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 译本序
  3. 说明
  4. 序言
  5. 第一部 妙龄少女
  6. 第一章
  7. 第二章
  8. 第三章
  9. 第四章
  10. 第五章
  11. 第六章
  12. 第七章
  13. 第八章
  14. 第九章
  15. 第十章
  16. 第十一章
  17. 第二部 失身女子
  18. 第十二章
  19. 第十三章
  20. 第十四章
  21. 第十五章
  22. 第三部 振作精神
  23. 第十六章
  24. 第十七章
  25. 第十八章
  26. 第十九章
  27. 第二十章
  28. 第二十一章
  29. 第二十二章
  30. 第二十三章
  31. 第二十四章
  32. 第四部 终身大事
  33. 第二十五章
  34. 第二十六章
  35. 第二十七章
  36. 第二十八章
  37. 第二十九章
  38. 第三十章
  39. 第三十一章
  40. 第三十二章
  41. 第三十三章
  42. 第三十四章
  43. 第五部 女人总是吃亏
  44. 第三十五章
  45. 第三十六章
  46. 第三十七章
  47. 第三十八章
  48. 第三十九章
  49. 第四十章
  50. 第四十一章
  51. 第四十二章
  52. 第四十三章
  53. 第四十四章
  54. 第六部 皈依宗教者
  55. 第四十五章
  56. 第四十六章
  57. 第四十七章
  58. 第四十八章
  59. 第四十九章
  60. 第五十章
  61. 第五十一章
  62. 第五十二章
  63. 第七部 完结
  64. 第五十三章
  65. 第五十四章
  66. 第五十五章
  67. 第五十六章
  68. 第五十七章
  69. 第五十八章
  70. 第五十九章

FAQ

What is the core theme of Tess of the d'Urbervilles? The novel's core theme is a critique of Victorian hypocrisy and social injustice, exploring the complex relations among purity, fate, social prejudice and individual resistance, with particular focus on women's predicament under the double oppression of gender and class.
Why did Hardy give the novel the subtitle "A Pure Woman"? It is Hardy's direct challenge to the moral standards of his time. Despite the misfortunes and even the crime that befall Tess, Hardy holds her to be essentially pure and noble, mocking a hypocritical morality that judges women by outward conduct rather than inner worth.
What should readers note about this edition? With the Chunfeng Wenyi Publishing House edition, note whether the translation faithfully conveys the literary quality and period feel of Hardy's original. Reading the author's preface and the translator's afterword alongside the text will help you understand the edition's characteristics. As a classic, it exists in translations that differ in style; this one lays greater emphasis on literary transmission.

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About the author

哈代 Author

Thomas Hardy is an English novelist, and four of his works are included in this catalog, all of which are different editions and volumes of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Public information is limited, and his dates of birth and death and nationality are not indicated in the catalog, but the common classifications of Tess show that his writing falls within the categories of foreign literature and world classics, and is often grouped under inspirational growth. The work follows the tragic fate of the heroine Tess as its main thread, offering delicate portrayals of rural life and the inner world of its characters, with a calm and deeply moving tone. The existence of four editions also suggests that the book has circulated widely among readers and serves as an accessible introduction to Hardy's narrative style and character development.