TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES

The tragic vision in Tess of the D'Urbervilles

The elements of tragedy in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D'Urbervilles

• It is doubtless that Thomas Hardy’s main writing style was naturalist in Tess.

• Naturalism was a literary movement suggesting that social conditions, heredity and environment are what shape human character.

• As it can be easily recognized in Thomas Hardy’s work too, naturalistic works unearth the harshness of life including poverty, violence, prejudgement, corruption.

•One another characteristic of naturalism that appears in Tess of the D'Urbervilles is pessimism. It can be seen that Tess is a pessimist person. She doesn’t have a hope of a good to come for her. Even when her beloved Angel, answers her love and tells he loves her, Tess doesn’t get happy because she doesn’t believe that they can be happy together.

•Inevitability of death is also one of the main elements that make Tess of the D'Urbervilles tragic.

•For example: The chase of Tess and Angel by polices, after Alec’s death.

•Yet, the greatest element of tragedy in Tess is fate.

•“As Hardy is concerned, he writes the tragedy of fate” in this novel too.

References

• "Role of Fate in Tess of the D'Urbervilles" StudyMode.com. 03 2011. 03 2011 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Role-Of-Fate-In-Tess-Of-607829.html>.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_(literature)