Tess of the D'Urbervilles Critic Analysis Two

 The critics of today took a much different approach. The critics did not simply view the novel for its naturalistic style or the characters that reside within Tess of the D'Urbervilles but for a deeper meaning beyond the surface. The outcome that people can take out of Thomas Hardy's novel can easily vary from person to person for various reasons: experiences of the readers or how he portrayed his piece to the audience through a lack of information, switching in and out through time. The critics now connect his piece and attempt to visualize where he was coming from as he was creating Tess of the D'Urbervilles as opposed to the earlier critics of his time. Gillian Beer took an appealing turn by connecting Hardy's piece with Darwan's theory with feminism.

Beer brings up an interesting point of looking through the lens of those who lived within the Victorian time and their ideas about not only the opposite sex, but a noticeable pattern within the selection of a partner. During that time, people who desired status tended to choose someone with a higher standing than themselves; keeping that idea in mind, the appearance of the person did not seem that important to some while they climbed the wealth and respect mountain. “Civilized men are largely attracted by the mental charms of women, by their wealth, and especially by their social position” (446). The men often times did not marry a woman with a lower class, but the men who decided to marry for beauty would not have much of a chance to continue their generation's wealth or position. The women's choice on a mate, however, is not as flexible as the men's. “This reversal creates difficulties; Man is more powerful in body and mind than woman, and in the savage state, he keeps her in a far more abject state of bondage than does the male of any other animal: therefore it is not surprising that he should have gained the power of selection” (447). The societal ideal that people already had on women bound and limited them. For those who were poor, it would take sheer luck and physical attraction in order to be released from the clutches of poverty. Unfortunately for women, the higher class men would go for the more beneficial choice of the more wealthy women, regardless of looks. Tess is the representation of the D'Urberville marrying for beauty and making a point out of the absurdity in which Hardy felt necessary to address. Hardy emphasized that beauty in the relation to sexual selection had Tess represent that of a standard woman, bringing to light what he theorized to be the result in marrying for beauty and not class.

Along with the societal concept of genders, a part that truly stood out amongst the critics was his clarity of Hardy's perception of a woman's virginity. “The social emphasis on virginity, Hardy suggests, cannot be naturalized; she had been made to an accepted social law, but no law known into the environment in which she fancied herself such an anomaly” (449). Hardy expresses this ridiculous conception of a woman in society and tests that by giving people a character that fell under the weight of her own life and the unluckiness of that continuous theme until out of madness, she murders the very person who had raped her and caused so much grief. With this concept in mind, the ending was befitting for the novel. The idea of a woman that embodies temptation for man deserves punishment, in this case that punishment was death. That style of ending for a fallen woman was common in novels, thus why he created a pure character that had fallen in order to show that bad things happen to good people, but even so, society will not forgive the “crime” of a fallen woman.

Gillian Beer examined the book, but unlike the earlier critics, the later critics such as Beer had the opportunity to look from an outside and unbiased scope. Beer could take the book and reflect upon it along with having the ability to give a much different opinion on the book because of the cultural changes in society. Reading this critic made me rethink and reflect upon the actions that Hardy took to paint our picture of Tess. Of course he focused highly on her beautiful appearance, Hardy wanted to emphasize the society class structure and address a question that has been on the minds of many during the time of oppression and condemnation for the women who lost their perfect reputation. Hardy had observed and studied society and all of its imperfections, creating a cynical masterpiece of naturalism through the fate of an unfortunate girl.  

Tess of the D'Urbervilles Critic Analysis One

 Tess, though not well liked by those who have encountered the book Tess of the D'Urbervilles, was a complicated character who had befallen tragedy after tragedy. Before we even encounter Tess, her life was a struggle. She dealt with drunken parents while she was left to tend to the children. The life and situational calamity that followed after we meet Tess only go down hill from there. The critics of his time were not particularly fond of Hardy's works in general, but the critics were almost all negative aside from his own interview shown at the end. He set his sights on a naturalistic novel with Tess visualized as a pure women who befalls into the horrors that life can bring. However, the critics typically strayed from Hardy's desired view point, finding that in fact they did not see the novel as naturalistic and did not like Tess or much less think of her as a pure figure. Even with those issues that were brought up, most critics agreed that the novel was powerful.

The Saturday Review outright declared that they did not believe Hardy's novel had even a touch of nature expressed in the novel. The Critic goes on to even insult the main character Tess by comparing her character to that of simplistic character in theatre. During the last part of the critic on Tess of the D'Urbervilles the critic did mention that though he had difficulties in reading the book, the justice that was served in the end was much more satisfying than if Tess had lived or passed away at Stonehenge.

The Spectator had some troubles with the book also, but unlike the Saturday Review, this critic was a little more understanding of what Hardy was attempting to get at. “Hardy has written one of the most powerful novels, perhaps the most powerful that he had ever wrote” (384). The novel expresses the fate that can make a good soul stray from the expected societal path. The critic does not necessarily agree that Tess is this wonderful and pure women to the highest degree, but he believes her persona to be “well enough.” Tess did act in a pure manner, but much like this critic, I can agree with his distress of Tess's outlandish behavior that burst through the seams of this character towards the end. It was almost as though Hardy cheated by drastically taking Tess out of her natural state of being. “Though pure in instinct, she was not pure in her instinct” (384). Even with this in mind, Hardy did make a masterpiece of tragedy, and the Spectator certainly saw that in Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

The last of the critiques during Thomas Hardy's time within the Norton edition was an interview of Hardy and his clarification and desire for readers to take from his novel. Though there were harsh statements about the book from the critics, it was refreshing to get an explanation and clarification of what the author had intended for his audience. His cynical method of writing is something that I truly enjoy. Instead of giving his audience a stereotypical happy ending, he displayed a tragic conclusion for the main protagonist. Not only did he do this, but he took pride in that. Most people would not appreciate such pride in that fact, but endings like that really express the naturalistic behavior of the novel. Some stories for people's lives do not always have happy endings. Hardy goes on and makes a great deal of sense as to why he also chose the outcome that he did beyond the simple fact of trying to create a naturalistic book. If the ending did not result in the death of Tess, he understood that anger and the heroine could never have lived happily. “Angel was far too fastidious and particular. He would have inevitably have thrown her fall in her face” (388). Keeping that in mind, I'm sure that other people would agree with his decision of the novel's ending.

This tragic novel may have flaws in the eyes of some people, but as The Spectator had clearly stated, this “powerful novel” has had impact on the readers since its existence. On top of that, the book is not of linear design. The interpretation can mold, shift and differ from person to person. One person may thoroughly enjoy the piece, but the next reader may despise it. Hardy truly has a way to achieve a slew of emotions from his readers, extending its life beyond that of just reading it, but allowing discussion and receiving a different take on the novel that may not have occurred to other readers.