num_pages: 517
description: Tess first appeared in a serialized—and bowdlerized—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 femininity—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.
language: English
title: Tess Of The D'urbervilles
titlecomplete: Tess Of The D'urbervilles
characters: Angel Clare, Tess Durbeyfield, Alec D'Urberville
genres: Victorian, Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Classic Literature, British Literature, Historical, Novels, 19th Century
ratings_count: 276899
places: Dorset, England, United Kingdom
publisher: Broadview Press