TESS OF THE d'URBERVILLES: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented

Thomas Hardy

ISBN 10: 0895772159 / ISBN 13: 9780895772152

Published by Readers Digest Association, USA, 1985

About this Item

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a famous novel by Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, then in book form 1891. It is about the life of a country girl who falls prey to an employer, falls in love and is abandoned, and has to make her way with disgrace hanging over her. It is now considered one of the major novels of 19th century England and has been adapted for the stage, screen and theatre innumerable times, with its most famous adaptation being Roman Polanski's 1979 film starring Nastassja Kinski.

This copy was published by Reader's Digest in 1985 and contains several full-page 4-colour illustrations, as well as a colour map. Grey boards with an imprinted burgundy design on the cover and a burgundy spine. Brilliant gold lettering on the spine.

There is a small area of discoloration just at the top of the cover--it's just a little bit of darkness. But the book has not been read. The spine has not been cracked. The interior is perfect.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1754435647951

Bibliographic Details

• Title: TESS OF THE d'URBERVILLES: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented
• Publisher: Readers Digest Association, USA
• Publication Date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0895772159
• ISBN 13: 9780895772152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Gene Sparkman
• Condition: As New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Fiction - British
  • British Society
  • Romance
  • Scandal & Law Suits

About this title

Synopsis

Hardy's novel tells the story of how John and Joan Durbeyfield became convinced that they are descended from the ancient family of d'Ubervilles. They encourage their daughter Tess to cement a connection with the Stoke-d'Uberville family of local gentry (who it turns out are themselves not entitled to the illustrious name) and she is raped by their son, the unprincipled Alec. It is a connection that returns to haunt her after she has married the pure parson's son Angel Clare.

Tess first appeared in a serializedâ and bowdlerizedâ form in The Graphic in 1891. A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, as Hardy subtitled the work, represented a direct challenge to conventional notions of sexuality and femininityâ and, though conventions have radically changed in the past century, the character of Tess has remained a challenging one. In her introduction Maier argues that we should not see Tess merely as a passive victim; she suggests that a combination of sexual vigour and moral rigour makes Tess not just one of the greatest but also one of the strongest women in the canon of English literature.

Book Description

Cambridge Literature is a series of literary texts edited for study by students aged 14-18 in English-speaking classrooms. It will include novels, poetry, plays, short stories, essays, travel-writing and other non-fiction. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy is edited by Rex Gibson, Director, Shakespeare and Schools Project.