Tess of the D'Urbervilles

[kidd]

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Has anyone read this story? What do you think of it? I've only read the abridged version when I'm still secondary school. I remember hating Angel with all my heart after what he did to Tess. Even at the end I still hated him and felt very pity for Tess and thought Tess shouldn't have done what she did for this worthless man. At that time, I even prefered the rapist Alec over Angel and thought Tess should just stay with him and forget about Angel.

I tried to read the original novel some time later, but it's too long for me. So, never finished it. Maybe I'll try reading it again. Maybe I'll have a different understanding now that I'm older.

I remember hating Emma from Jane Austen's Emma when reading the abridged, but really like her after reading the original novel.

You can read the novel here
http://www.online-literature.com/har...s_urbervilles/

Or download the text here
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/110

[moonlight-sonata]

oh i've heard of this book... I did Kumon once (remember that terrible terrible program? gah) and that was one of the study books...

[kidd]

I thought Kumon is for kids. Why the study book so heavy? Tess is not only heavy in weight but also in subject matter.

[yearning]

I kind of remember it..the rape was described very subtly lol. I think I only realized it was a "rape" after I went on Spark's Notes.

Who was this Angel dude again? Was he the one who was "perfect" and liked her? And then he slept with some old woman or something? And couldn't accept her for getting raped?

[kidd]

Who was this Angel dude again? Was he the one who was "perfect" and liked her? And then he slept with some old woman or something? And couldn't accept her for getting raped?

Yeap, it's that guy. He himself has engaged in pre-marital sex before but couldn't accept that his wife is not 'pure'.

What a hypocrite.

What made me extremely frustrated with this book is that Tess lost her life for this bastard.

I kind of remember it..the rape was described very subtly lol. I think I only realized it was a "rape" after I went on Spark's Notes.

Yeah, it was written very subtly. It's also quite ambiguous. Was she raped or seduced?

[yearning]

Yeap, it's that guy. He himself has engaged in pre-marital sex before but couldn't accept that his wife is not 'pure'.

What a hypocrite.

What made me extremely frustrated with this book is that Tess lost her life for this bastard.


Yeah, it was written very subtly. It's also quite ambiguous. Was she raped or seduced?

Yeah, but his attitude isn't too far-fetched from a lot of modern guys. I bet they would react the same way..they can fool around, but their wives can't 8-)

I felt like she was seduced....or she kind of submitted, so it was more of a psychological rape than a real physical forced rape...but wrong regardless.

She lost her life? How again? Can't remember...

[Ren Ying Ying]

Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Has anyone read this story? What do you think of it? I've only read the abridged version when I'm still secondary school. I remember hating Angel with all my heart after what he did to Tess. Even at the end I still hated him and felt very pity for Tess and thought Tess shouldn't have done what she did for this worthless man. At that time, I even prefered the rapist Alec over Angel and thought Tess should just stay with him and forget about Angel.

But at least Angel put aside his prejudice and finally came to his senses in the end. i don't know why Tess had to kill Alec, though

[kidd]

But at least Angel put aside his prejudice and finally came to his senses in the end. i don't know why Tess had to kill Alec, though

I don't remember the facts clearly since I read the book long ago. Was it not that she has married Alec and wanted to get back with Angel, so, she killed Alec? Or she blamed Alec for convincing her that Angel won't come back? I remember that when when Angel came back to claim Tess, it was already too late.

Back then, I was really mad (still am when I think of this novel every now and then) at how Angel treated Tess after she confessed to him. He acted like 'pity me, my world is ruined, Tess wronged me blah blah blah' and then left Tess to fend for herself while he ran away to pity himself some more. I remember back then, I didn't even want him and Tess to get back together after he came to his sense. I want to see Tess reject him when he came back for her. Too bad Tess is too much in love with him.

[moonlight-sonata]

I thought Kumon is for kids. Why the study book so heavy? Tess is not only heavy in weight but also in subject matter.

It wasn't a "study book" per se, but more of a "let's describe the narrative devices and stuff that they employ in Tess" kinda thing.

[Ren Ying Ying]

I don't remember the facts clearly since I read the book long ago. Was it not that she has married Alec and wanted to get back with Angel, so, she killed Alec? Or she blamed Alec for convincing her that Angel won't come back? I remember that when when Angel came back to claim Tess, it was already too late.

Back then, I was really mad (still am when I think of this novel every now and then) at how Angel treated Tess after she confessed to him. He acted like 'pity me, my world is ruined, Tess wronged me blah blah blah' and then left Tess to fend for herself while he ran away to pity himself some more. I remember back then, I don't even want him and Tess to get back together after he came to his sense. I want to see Tess reject him when he came back for her. Too bad Tess is too much in love with him.

meh, she was planning to elope with Angel anyways. No point killing Alec, unless she already planned to die.

she did reject Angel at first.

still i'd give much more credit to angel than the rapist

[0-0-0]

I read it about a year ago. Some of it was quite interesting, but otherwise, i thought the novel was a bit dull. Somehow, i managed to feel sorry for most of the characters in the novel, despite their many faults. I personally don't think this is Hardy's best novel.

[Ren Ying Ying]

I read it about a year ago. Some of it was quite interesting, but otherwise, i thought the novel was a bit dull. Somehow, i managed to feel sorry for most of the characters in the novel, despite their many faults. I personally don't think this is Hardy's best novel.

victorian writers tend to be dry and bore me away anyway, at least the ones i was assigned to read were.

although victorian themes are actually kinda interesting...if only i didn't fall asleep every ten pages while reading

[kidd]

victorian writers tend to be dry and bore me away anyway, at least the ones i was assigned to read were.

although victorian themes are actually kinda interesting...if only i didn't fall asleep every ten pages while reading

Which classic authors are victorian writers? I'm not a student of literature (just read those books for fun), so, dunno the categorisation.

What categories do the following authors belong to?

George Elliot
Jane Austen
Bronte sisters
Charles Dickens
Daniel Defoe
Robert Louis Stevenson
Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Mark Twain
Lewis Carroll

[Ren Ying Ying]

i'm not a big literature either, but i only remeber hardy to be a victorian writer b/c we read it while covering the victorian era in class.

those classifications usually go by time periods. the british ones differ slightly from the american ones.

from what i remember, we read also read wuthering heights for victorian, so bronte sisters are also victorian. dickens is boring enough to be one.

jane austen is too old for victorian.

mark twain is an american realist writer.

i really don't know much about the rest. you can try wiki them up or ask a literature expert.

[pannonian]

victorian writers tend to be dry and bore me away anyway, at least the ones i was assigned to read were.

although victorian themes are actually kinda interesting...if only i didn't fall asleep every ten pages while reading

The Brontes are a livelier example from that period. Alternatively, read the books with a cynical outlook - one reviewer admitted the heartbreakingly overwrought death scene from Little Dorrit (Dickens) made him giggle, so OTT was it. Similarly my tutor could barely suppress a laugh as he related the death of Tess' son.

For entertainment, try reading the poetry of William Topaz McGonagall, celebrated as one of the worst poets in the English language. Crowds gathered in his lifetime to be amused by his ineptitude - a century on, his verse hasn't become any better.

[moonlight-sonata]

Not all Victorian literature is dull, though... If you read Oscar Wilde, for instance, I guarantee you won't say it's dull... Has anyone read The Picture of Dorian Grey?

[kidd]

Not all Victorian literature is dull, though... If you read Oscar Wilde, for instance, I guarantee you won't say it's dull... Has anyone read The Picture of Dorian Grey?

I've read it. I don't remember whether it's the original or abridge version. It's an interesting story, but I prefer 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' more.

[moonlight-sonata]

I've read it. I don't remember whether it's the original or abridge version. It's an interesting story, but I prefer 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' more.

Hmm, never read that one... but apparently (or so my friends tell me) it's very good. Maybe I'll get round to it. Did you see the movie of that book that came out... some time ago? (can't remember when)

[kidd]

Hmm, never read that one... but apparently (or so my friends tell me) it's very good. Maybe I'll get round to it. Did you see the movie of that book that came out... some time ago? (can't remember when)

Nope. I've never seen any 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' adaptation. Have only read the book.

[moonlight-sonata]

It was rated R coz of all the blood and gore... I didn't know Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde had blood and gore, but apparently it does. *shrug*