Product Description

'She looked absolutely pure. Nature, in her fantastic trickery, had set such a seal of maidenhood upon Tess's countenance that he gazed at her with a stupefied air: "Tess- say it is not true! No, it is not true!"' Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When Tess meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice. Hardy's indictment of society's double standards, and his depiction of Tess as 'a pure woman', caused controversy in his day and has held the imagination of readers ever since. Hardy thought it his finest novel, and Tess the most deeply felt character he ever created. This unique critical text is taken from the authoritative Clarendon edition, which is based on the manuscript collated with all Hardy's subsequent revisions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #329721 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 492 pages

Customer Reviews

great classic
When I first picked up this book, a christmas present, I thought I wouldn't be able to get past the first page. I'm not a great fan of 'classics', but this book is really enjoyable. It's not too difficult to read like some older books, but has a great story and I found it interesting, and funny too, surprisingly. I would recommend it to anyone who is new to classic-reading as well as people who enjoy older books.