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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles Mass market paperbound - 2006

by Thomas Hardy

Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable.


About this book

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman, was first published as a censored and serialized version in the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic in 1891. An intimate portrait of a woman, one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines...Tess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin—a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. Shaped by an acute sense of social injustice and by a vision of human fate cosmic in scope, her story is a singular blending of harsh realism and poignant beauty. Thomas Hardy created in Tess not a standard Victorian heroine but a woman whose intense vitality shines against the bleak backdrop of a dying way of life. The novel shocked contemporary readers with its honesty and remains a timeless commentary on the human condition. -

From the publisher

A young woman challenges the conventions of her time in this classic novel about nineteenth century English society. At the time of its publication in 1891, Tess of the d'Urbervilles was scorned by readers for what was then considered its indictment of Victorian society and its unconventional heroine, Tess Durbeyfield. Now considered one of the major classic novels of nineteenth century literature, Tess is the compelling story of an extraordinary woman and her tragic destiny--a brilliant, transcendent work of compassion and courage by one of the finest English novelists, Thomas Hardy. This edition includes:
-A concise introduction that gives readers important background information
-A chronology of the author's life and work
-A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context
-An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations
-Detailed explanatory notes
-Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work
-Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction
-A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

First Edition Identification

First published in 1891 by James R Osgood, McIlvaine & Co, London, in three volumes. Publisher's original sand-colored cloth with vertical linear designs of honeysuckle blossom on the upper covers, gilt decorations and lettering designed by Charles Ricketts. 

Details

  • Title Tess of the d'Urbervilles
  • Author Thomas Hardy
  • Binding Mass Market Paperbound
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 560
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Simon & Schuster, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Date May 23, 2006
  • ISBN 9781416523673 / 1416523677
  • Weight 0.58 lbs (0.26 kg)
  • Dimensions 6.7 x 4.62 x 1.22 in (17.02 x 11.73 x 3.10 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 19th Century
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Triangles (Interpersonal relations), Women murderers
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

About the author

Thomas Hardy was born at Upper Bockhampton near Dorchester in Dorset. His father was a stonemason. His mother was ambitious and well-read and supplemented his formal education. Hardy trained as an architect in Dorchester before moving to London to take up employment. He won prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association. His first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady, was finished in 1867 but failed to find a publisher. Desperate Remedies (1871) and Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) were published anonymously. In 1873, A Pair of Blue Eyes was published under his own name. The story draws on Hardy's courtship of Emma Gifford whom he married in 1874. His next novel, Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) was successful enough for Hardy to be able to give up his architectural work and take up a full-time literary career. Over the next 25 years, Hardy produced 10 more novels. The Hardys moved from London to Yeovil, and then to Sturminster Newton, where he wrote The Return of the Native (1878). In 1885, they returned to Dorchester, moving into Max Gate, a house which Hardy had designed himself. In 1898, Hardy published his first volume of poetry, Wessex Poems, a collection of poems written over the previous 30 years. Hardy continued to publish collections until his death in 1928.
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Enriched Classics)

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