3 Review(s)

"Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles in some ways is the most controversial of his works. its bold theme of 'seduction' and '' caused the moral Victorian critics to brand it loathsome, disgusting and disagreeable. However, the years have seen it become a classic novel, much loved for its sadness and profoundly stirring tragic power. Tess is touched by a humility of attitude in the face of basic human difficulties and is, like other Hardy heroines, a woman of character and unfailingly enduring. Its intense moving power led William Sharp to declare that no man or woman could read the novel sympathetically and not thereafter be of broader mind and more charitable spirit. From this point of view, it is to be regarded not merely as Hardy's greatest novel but as one of the greatest works in English Literature. It is an Anglo-Saxon social landmark. 'Anyhow', said Hardy, 'I have put in it the best of me.'"