Tess of the D’Urbervilles
- Author Thomas Hardy
- Narrator Geoffrey Howard
- Publisher Craig Black
- Publish Date 1 June 2008
- Run Time 14 hours and 16 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Classic fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Historical fiction.
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What to expect
Thomas Hardy's novel of seduction and abandonment introduced his most memorable tragic heroine, the unworldly maiden Tess. On her morning journey to earn money for her impoverished family, Tess' horse has an accident, forcing her to seek assistance from some newly rich relatives. There, she is vigorously pursued by Alec, who corners her in a field one night and takes advantage of her. After bearing a child who quickly dies, Tess meets and falls in love with Angel, a minister's son who is infatuated with the image of Tess as the pure country maid. But when he learns the truth of her past, he shuns his new bride and leaves Tess once again to fend for herself in a world where she is only valued for her uses to others.
Explanatory Note to the First Edition of Tess of the D'Urbervilles:
"In respect of the book's opinions and sentiments, I would ask any too genteel reader, who cannot endure to have said what everybody nowadays thinks and feels, to remember a well-worn sentence of St. Jerome's: If an offence come out of the truth, better is it that the offence come than that the truth be concealed."
Thomas Hardy, November 1891
Critics Review
u201cTess of the Du2019Urbervilles ranks as one of Hardyu2019s finest achievements.u201d
nu201cLushly drawn, so sympathetically conveyedu2026Evocative descriptions are underpinned by a gripping story of love, loss, and tragedy.u201d
nu201cRalph Coshamu2019s narration of Hardyu2019s classic English novel captures the essence of nau00efve Tess, a poor, beautiful country girl. With textured characterizations and a seamless narrative, Cosham depicts Tessu2019 seduction and betrayal by Alec, a country nobleman. Coshamu2019s English accent and polished performance render the society and customs of the 1800s with a vividness that brings them to lifeu2026Cosham delivers the timeless appeal of Hardyu2019s tragic story of seduction and abandonment.u201d
nu201cThe tragicnstory of a woman wronged by two men and by the harsh, repressive society innwhich she lives. Hardyu2019s most striking and tragic heroine, Tess is a woman ofnintense vitality and innate goodness and the authoru2019s favorite character.u201d
u201cNownconsidered Hardyu2019s masterwork, [Tess ofnthe Du2019Urbervilles] departed fromnconventional Victorian fiction in its focus on the rural lower class and in itsnopen treatment of sexuality and religion.u201d
u201cDefiantlynsubtitled A Pure Woman FaithfullynPresented, the novel expresses Hardyu2019s rejection of the conventionalnheroine of Victorian fiction.u201d
u201cHardyu2019snclassic 1891 novel, about a young womanu2019s attempt at redemption following anscandal, demonstrates his fatalistic view regarding free will.u201d
u201c[Tess of the Du2019Urbervilles is] Hardyu2019snfinest, most complex, and most notorious novelu2026The novel is not a mere plea forncompassion for the eternal victim, though that is the banner it flies. It alsoninvolves a profound questioning of contemporary morality.u201d
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