Review of Tess of the d'Urbervilles

In conclusion, the novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles was interesting and I liked it alot. I also liked the plot, because as the reader, I felt I didn’t know what was going to happen next. The beginning of the novel got off to a very slow start, but towards the end of phase the first and beginning of phase the second, it began to get more interesting. I did not particularly like how much detail Thomas Hardy put into the novel. At the beginning of each chapter there was always a big paragraph that described the scene, but I sometimes thought that it was a bit too much. Because of all the detail, I also found that there were a lot of sentences that felt like they went on and on for too long. Something that upset me about the novel was that I did not like was how much detail Hardy put into the first ¾ of the novel, but towards the end I felt like it was rushed. He didn’t put as much detail into it, and made it fell like he wanted to end the novel quickly. Another thing that upset me about the novel, was how Tess never stood up for herself, by letting Angel and especially Alec always tell her what to do and push her around. She was also constantly crying, which tended to annoy me. I don’t really think any events in the novel remained in my mind, except for how the police found Tess at the end of the novel in Stonehenge. I don’t really have a question for Thomas Hardy that I would ask him. Finally, I don’t think I would recommend this novel to a friend, unless they liked this kind of novel, but I would recommend it to an English class to study, that was at our same level of comprehension and reading level.

Quotation #5

“Remember, my lady, I was your master once; I will be your master again. If you are any man’s wife you are mine!” p.352

This is a quotation from the sixth phase in the novel. It is a conversation between Alec d’Urberville and Tess. Alec gets extremely mad with Tess after she slaps him over the face with a leather glove. His moods towards Tess have been laid back, but after this incident, his unleashes himself. He tells her that he is her master and will always be her master. I think that this quotation is important, because Alec finally gets mad at Tess and reminds both him and her of their bad past, and tells her that he could relive that past by doing it again, any time he wants. I think that this gives Tess the message, that Alec is not playing around anymore, and that he is serious.

Quotation #4

“I- I… am a not a Durbeyfield, but a d’Urberville- a descendant of the same family as those who owned the old house we passed. And- we are all gone to nothing!” p.206

This is a quotation from Phase the Fourth. It is a confession from Tess to Angel, telling him that she is related to the ancient family of the d’Urbervilles. She thinks that Angel will be mad because she lied to him about her family, but it turns out that he is delighted. This means that he would be related to a noble family, therefore his parents would be as well, making them happy. Tess is surprised to hear this. I think that this is significant to the novel because this makes Angel want to marry Tess even more, therefore hurrying the marriage.

Quotation #3

“What a fresh and virginal daughter of Nature that milkmaid is.” p.136

This is a quotation that is found in Phase the Third. It is Angel Clare talking about Tess at Talbothays Dairy. This is one of the first times that Angel sees Tess at the dairy. It turns out that she was the girl who he saw dancing at the beginning of the novel, but he wouldn’t dance with her. I think that this quotation is significant to the novel because this is when Angel starts to become interested in Tess, and later asks her to marry him. It is also ironic that Angel says how fresh and virginal she is even though he doesn’t know about her past with Alec d’Urberville. She actually isn’t a virgin and Angel later finds out and leads to controversy between him and Tess.

Quotation #2

“SORROW, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” p.107

This is a quotation from Phase the Second. Tess is baptizing her child, knowing that her son will soon die. I chose this quotation because it represents her past with Alec d’Urberville. The child was conceived by him and it is something that stays with Tess throughout the novel. It also represents the religious views of Tess, because she is baptizing her child, meaning that she is a Christian. She does this because she wants to follow her religion and it is what her mother would want her to do. I think that she names the baby Sorrow, because it shows her distress about her loss of innocence with Alec and she is showing an expression of grief sadness and dissapointement.

Quotation #1

“I am Parson Tringham, the antiquary, of Stagfoot lane. Don’t you really know, Durbeyfield, that you are the lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the D’Urbervilles, who derive their descent from Sir Pagan D’Urberville, that renowned knight who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror, as appears by Battle Abby Roll?” p. 13-14

This is a quotation from Phase the First. It is a Parson telling Tess’ dad that they are related to a wealthy and noble family, the d’Urbervilles. I feel that it is significant to the novel because it is the whole reason that Tess has to go to the d’Urbervilles mansion. Once they find out that they are related, her mother forces her to go there to try and marry Alec d’Urberville. This relates to the treatment of women, because women back then were forced into an arranged marriage by their parents, giving them no choice. This is what later happened to Tess, although she didn’t end up marrying Alec.

Song for the novel: In the Water, I Am Beautiful

Song Lyrics:

And I know its not to get away from me,
You just need a change of scenery
So strange how everything went wrong so fast
And I hope that this confusion does not last

These words might be, too little too late,
And I'm afraid that I have already lost you.
Now three months equals eternity and this will be so hard
And I will long to hold you in my arms

And when you ask do you love me
And I should reply with yes most certainly
And I always hesitate there's something lingering
And I will try harder to be all that I can be

These words might be, too little too late,
And I'm afraid that I have already lost you now
Three months equals eternity and this will be so hard
And I will long to hold you in my arms

I think that City and Colour’s “In the Water, I Am Beautiful” best represents the novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The lyrics found in the song demonstrate the struggle that Tess is going through in her relationship with Angel. The line “You just need a change of scenery” is referring to Angel going to Brazil to find a new farm. The sudden travels of Angel put Tess even more distress than she was before. The lyrics of this song are very short, but I think that you need to actually listen to the song because the guitar playing also represents Tess’ life because they are very slow and quiet, the kinds of feelings that she is encountering at this time in the novel.