Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman

Pleasantville, New York, Usa: Reader's Digest Association, 1985. 1st Edition . Hardcover. As New/No Jacket ( as Issued ). Sparkman, Gene. As New, An Unread Copy - May Have Minor Shelf Wear To Edges and/or Turned Corners. - For More Information On Condition. Please See All Photos. Vintage 1985 Hardy's novel tells the story of how John and Joan Durbeyfield became convinced that they are descended from the ancient family of d'Ubervilles. They encourage their daughter Tess to cement a connection with the Stoke-d'Uberville family of local gentry (who it turns out are themselves not entitled to the illustrious name) and she is raped by their son, the unprincipled Alec. It is a connection that returns to haunt her after she has married the pure parson's son Angel Clare. Tess first appeared in a serialized and bowdlerized form in The Graphic magazine, with the full, uncensored version appearing in book form later that year 1891. A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, as Hardy subtitled the work, represented a direct challenge to conventional notions of sexuality and femininity and, though conventions have radically changed in the past century, the character of Tess has remained a challenging one. In her introduction Maier argues that we should not see Tess merely as a passive victim; she suggests that a combination of sexual vigor and moral rigor makes Tess not just one of the greatest but also one of the strongest women in the canon of English literature.