TESS OF THE D'URBEVILLES - WORDSWORTH CLASSICS
Introduction and Notes by Michael Irwin, Professor of English Literature, University of Kent at Canterbury.
Set in Hardy's Wessex, Tess is a moving novel of hypocrisy and double standards. Its challenging sub-title, A Pure Woman, infuriated critics when the book was first published in 1891, and it was condemned as immoral and pessimistic.
It tells of Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager, who learns that she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urbeville. In her search for respectability her fortunes fluctuate wildly, and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy. It explores Tess's relationships with two very different men, her struggle against the social mores of the rural Victorian world which she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age.
In addressing the double standards of the time, Hardy's masterly evocation of a world which we have lost, provides one of the most compelling stories in the canon of English literature, whose appeal today defies the judgement of Hardy's contemporary critics.
THOMAS HARDY
Thomas Hardy 1840-1928 had a writing career which spanned more than fifty years, and he is now considered both a major novelist and poet. His tales of Wessex, a fictional amalgamation of various south-west counties, have a lasting appeal, and many, such as 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' and 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' have become popular television adaptations.
Edad: adultos jóvenes
HARDY THOMAS
Thomas Hardy fue un novelista y poeta inglés nacido el 2 de junio de 1840 en Higher Bockhampton, Dorset. Su obra se caracteriza por el realismo y el naturalismo, con una fuerte crítica a la sociedad victoriana y una exploración de la lucha entre el destino y la voluntad humana.
Entre sus novelas más destacadas se encuentran Lejos del mundanal ruido 1874 , El alcalde de Casterbridge 1886 , Tess, la de los d'Urberville 1891 y Jude el oscuro 1895 . Sus personajes suelen enfrentarse a circunstancias sociales opresivas y a fuerzas incontrolables de la naturaleza.
Aunque Hardy se consideraba principalmente poeta, su primera colección de poesía no fue publicada hasta 1898. Su estilo influyó en escritores posteriores como Ezra Pound y W. H. Auden. Falleció el 11 de enero de 1928 en Dorchester, y su legado sigue siendo fundamental en la literatura inglesa.
