| Tess Durbeyfield is the eldest daughter in a large, poverty stricken family living in the small village of Marlott. Her father, who is prone to drinking and putting off work, discovers by chance that he is a descendant of the noble family of D'uberville. Her mother, Joan, discovers that a wealthy family of the same name lives in a nearby town and, after an unfortunate accident in which the Durbeyfields' only horse is killed, she sends Tess to go and "claim kin".
Such is the beginning of Tess' undoing... Alec Stokes D'urberville (a "cousin" who allows Tess to claim kinship, but is a relative in name only) takes a liking to the young and impressionable Tess, who is coerced into a sexual relationship with him. Tess escapes Alec and gives birth to a child, who dies very early on. Later, Tess attempts to escape her troubled past by working as a dairymaid at a distant farm. Here she meets her true love, who may or may not accept her after hearing of her secret relationship with Alec. | ||
|
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Romance/Romance Problems Yes Kind of romance: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Pregnancy/Child rearing Yes Major part of story: Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () The Americas (not US): Yes The Americas: - South Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - farm - lot of descript of crop raising - lot of descript of animal care Misc setting Writing Style Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - impregnation/reproduction - Boob talk! - rape/molest Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
||