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Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Dover Thrift Editions)
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Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $3.50
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Author: Thomas Hardy
Publisher: Dover Publications
Average Customer Rating:
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Dover Thrift Editions) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780486415895
ISBN: 0486415899
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2001-06-14
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.8
EAN: 9780486415895
ISBN: 0486415899
Label: Dover Publications
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2001-06-14
Publisher: Dover Publications
Studio: Dover Publications
Editorial Review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Dover Thrift Editions)
A ne'er-do-well exploits his gentle daughter's beauty for social advancement in this masterpiece of tragic fiction. Hardy's 1891 novel defied convention to focus on the rural lower class for a frank treatment of sexuality and religion. Then and now, his sympathetic portrait of a victim of Victorian hypocrisy offers compelling reading.
Customer Reviews of Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Dover Thrift Editions)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Exhausting
Review: This book has it's place--and that place is in an American Literature course at a university. It was entirely too technical to be enjoyable. I was assigned this book as a ninth grader and now that I am a teacher and understand lexile levels, I must advise other teachers not to assign this book until the later grades--and only to the highest students.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: I wanted to reach in and shake her by the shoulders!
Review: I read this in about 8 hours. I loved the prose, the descriptions, the whole feel of the book. I have to say I have a hard time with the type of heroine who just lets things happen to her like this. You know the characters I am referring to---I mean this book was kind-of like an 8 hour train wreck. I knew what was going to happen, well, at least that it wouldn't have a happy ending. But the writing is so great I couldn't help myself!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Lush landscapes and thought patterns
Review: By today's standards certain passages of this book may seem rather vague and subtle, but they were shocking when first written--enough that the book was subject to heavy censorship--vital passages from it were removed. And that is really what makes this book so grand. Its take on the double standards of the society in which fictional Tess lived may seem very distant from today's post-60's equality society, but it was very real then.
The book follows Tess' journey through the English countryside, but what makes it so fascinating is the constant flow of her thought patterns as she tries to rationalize the hand she has been dealt. The modern reader may be befuddled, as her thoughts are representative of another culture and another time, but what is fascinating is the little insights on human nature that shine through. The joy she feels tempered by the despair in her past. The ignorant self-righteousness of overzealous youth. The mistakes that even very good, well-meaning people can make, without realizing it, that hurt others deeply. We hope for her as she lives through the initial tragedy, the slow recovery, the surge of joy she experiences, we are disgusted at the hypocritical betrayal that eventually leads to her final breakdown.
The prose itself too has a personality, often taking time to smell the roses and indulge in the lush scenery, fascinating historical anecdotes and social interactions that Tess deals with on a daily basis. For those who over-glamorize the past, here is a very honest look at the physical and mental hardships people faced in it. Hardy quotes Ascham: 'We find a short way, by a long wandering.'
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Incredible Literary Work
Review: Tess of the d'Urbervilles is an outstanding piece of literature. It follows the struggles of its protagonist through life in the 1900s. Anyone who is interested in literature to the slightest degree must read this novel. It is captivating, spellbinding, and heartwrenching. Rarely do I cry while reading a novel, but I was weeping throughout this book. The incredible journey Tess goes on is unmatched by any other piece of literature to date.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: What a bunch of simpering simpletons
Review: I enjoy reading classics, and have read several. No more than anyone else, perhaps, but a decent few that i could get my hands on.I've never read Hardy, and though his style was different, it was not hard to follow. The flaws in his characters are realistic enough, but it is those flaws that made me dislike the book. Tess is a simpering simpleton who should be smarter than she is. Angel is a Devil, who is the most hypocritical, bigoted, delusional idiot that walked in the book. The evil man, Alec D'Urberville, was terrible, but his evils could be comparable to Angel's. And in the middle is the lost child Tess, who can't be counted on to have a milliliter of sense or perception concering people throughout the entire book. She worships Angel, and blames herself for her rape, because Angel blames her despite his insisting that he doesn't.The plot could have been better, the characters could have been likable, and for God's sake it could have been less repetitive. Yes, we all understand, Tess you love him, Tess you need him, Tess you live for him, whatever, we understand, stop obsessing. Well written, but only worth reading at most once. I would borrow it instead of buying it.
Review Summary: Exhausting
Review: This book has it's place--and that place is in an American Literature course at a university. It was entirely too technical to be enjoyable. I was assigned this book as a ninth grader and now that I am a teacher and understand lexile levels, I must advise other teachers not to assign this book until the later grades--and only to the highest students.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: I wanted to reach in and shake her by the shoulders!
Review: I read this in about 8 hours. I loved the prose, the descriptions, the whole feel of the book. I have to say I have a hard time with the type of heroine who just lets things happen to her like this. You know the characters I am referring to---I mean this book was kind-of like an 8 hour train wreck. I knew what was going to happen, well, at least that it wouldn't have a happy ending. But the writing is so great I couldn't help myself!
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Lush landscapes and thought patterns
Review: By today's standards certain passages of this book may seem rather vague and subtle, but they were shocking when first written--enough that the book was subject to heavy censorship--vital passages from it were removed. And that is really what makes this book so grand. Its take on the double standards of the society in which fictional Tess lived may seem very distant from today's post-60's equality society, but it was very real then.
The book follows Tess' journey through the English countryside, but what makes it so fascinating is the constant flow of her thought patterns as she tries to rationalize the hand she has been dealt. The modern reader may be befuddled, as her thoughts are representative of another culture and another time, but what is fascinating is the little insights on human nature that shine through. The joy she feels tempered by the despair in her past. The ignorant self-righteousness of overzealous youth. The mistakes that even very good, well-meaning people can make, without realizing it, that hurt others deeply. We hope for her as she lives through the initial tragedy, the slow recovery, the surge of joy she experiences, we are disgusted at the hypocritical betrayal that eventually leads to her final breakdown.
The prose itself too has a personality, often taking time to smell the roses and indulge in the lush scenery, fascinating historical anecdotes and social interactions that Tess deals with on a daily basis. For those who over-glamorize the past, here is a very honest look at the physical and mental hardships people faced in it. Hardy quotes Ascham: 'We find a short way, by a long wandering.'
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Incredible Literary Work
Review: Tess of the d'Urbervilles is an outstanding piece of literature. It follows the struggles of its protagonist through life in the 1900s. Anyone who is interested in literature to the slightest degree must read this novel. It is captivating, spellbinding, and heartwrenching. Rarely do I cry while reading a novel, but I was weeping throughout this book. The incredible journey Tess goes on is unmatched by any other piece of literature to date.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: What a bunch of simpering simpletons
Review: I enjoy reading classics, and have read several. No more than anyone else, perhaps, but a decent few that i could get my hands on.I've never read Hardy, and though his style was different, it was not hard to follow. The flaws in his characters are realistic enough, but it is those flaws that made me dislike the book. Tess is a simpering simpleton who should be smarter than she is. Angel is a Devil, who is the most hypocritical, bigoted, delusional idiot that walked in the book. The evil man, Alec D'Urberville, was terrible, but his evils could be comparable to Angel's. And in the middle is the lost child Tess, who can't be counted on to have a milliliter of sense or perception concering people throughout the entire book. She worships Angel, and blames herself for her rape, because Angel blames her despite his insisting that he doesn't.The plot could have been better, the characters could have been likable, and for God's sake it could have been less repetitive. Yes, we all understand, Tess you love him, Tess you need him, Tess you live for him, whatever, we understand, stop obsessing. Well written, but only worth reading at most once. I would borrow it instead of buying it.