| When John Durbeyfield first discovers that his family is descended from the D'Urbervilles of British aristocracy, it seems like his poor family's key to freedom. He sends his older daughter, Tess, to live with the D'Urbervilles, unaware that the current family of D'Urbervilles are imposters.
At the home of these imposters, Tess is raped by the eldest D'Urberville son, Alec. She flees and gives birth to a child conceived by the rape. The infant dies and Tess buries him in secret. In an attempt to escape her past and start anew, Tess takes a milkmaid job at Talbothay's Dairy where she meets and falls in love with Angel Clare. Angel is a beautiful man who loves Tess deeply, but when he proposes to her, she is torn between lying to him by omission versus telling him of her past with Alec -- a choice that would likely alienate him in the strict morals of Victorian Britain. After they are married, Tess breaks down and tells Angel of her shameful past. Angel can't cope with it and leaves Tess penniless to travel to Brazil. When both Angel and Alec return to her, she is faced with the choice between them and the disastrous consequences of her decisions. | ||
|
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: - a teen 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 - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 7 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK Forest? Yes Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - farm - ranch - lot of descript of crop raising - lot of descript of animal care Small town? Yes Writing Style Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
||