Thomas Hardy 
Tess of the d’Urbervilles 

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles received mixed reviews upon its publication in 1891-1892 for its frank discussion of female sexuality and the hypocrisy of Victorian morality. Set in Wessex (a fictional part of southwestern England that is the setting for many of Hardy’s novels), Tess Durbeyfield is the impoverished eldest daughter of uneducated peasants. Throughout the story she navigates a world of desire and romance made complicated by her social status. Considered by some to be his Masterpiece, Hardy’s themes and imagery describe the corrosive effect of industrialization on the natural world and especially poor country folk.

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Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was an English poet and novelist who wrote during both the Victorian and Modernist periods. A realist influenced by Romanticism, he is the author of numerous short stories, a wealth of poetry, and fourteen novels, including Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and Jude the Obscure. Known for his investigation of tragic characters, difficult circumstances, and fate, he used his writing to critique the Victorian societal conventions that created an array of social constraints.