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pandabearsfly 's review for:
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy
Hardy is far from subtle in his depiction of Tess as a pure, beautiful woman. The book might be more interesting if it allowed her to be a flawed person, while still undeserving of her tragic fate. That said, there's no doubt that this book has left an outsized impact on my life. I must've been 11 or so when I stumbled on a simplified version that my mom was using to learn English, and boy, I was almost definitely too young for it then. Such heavy subject matter that cast a shadow on my mind. I was 16-17 when I read the original text for myself, and what struck me then was how mercilessly Hardy steers Tess's fate, at every possible turn, in spite of her attempts to survive. The story is a blistering critique of Victorian sexual mores, which create this impossible situation for Tess after one man's unforgivably selfish, violent action. We still live in the shadow of those Victorian attitudes, which, as a woman, is horrific to think about. I feel like I'm always bringing up this book in literature classes, and that's just a testament to how much it's haunted me through the years.