Censored on its release in 1841, Tess of the d’Urbervilles challenged attitudes with its depiction of a woman forced into a chain of painful circumstances by her social status and by the often cruel treatment of friends, family and the men who loved her. At once a novel of character and a sharply critical novel of society and class, Tess of the d’Urbervilles follows its heroine through a social and emotional gauntlet. The memory of abuse and the stigma of a pregnancy out of wedlock haunt Tess as she struggles with the stern strictures of society, the uncharitable attitudes of those around her and, most formidable of all, her own desires. A steady stream of critical re-interpretations of Tess has only lent strength to her standing as one of the most memorable characters in Victorian fiction. Troubling, intense and possessing a uniquely emotional brand of narrative suspense, the novel has come to be seen as not simply a classic but as Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Tess of the d’Urbervilles is both modern and readable.
