The Causes of Tess’s Tragedy---开题报告

1. Paper purpose

Thomas Hardy is a famous and productive British novelist and poet of the naturalist movement, whose works have a great reputation in the world. Through his novel, Hardy conveys his philosophical attitude to life - pessimism and fatalism. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, as one of the representative works, not only has an important status in the UK since its came out, but also produce extensive and far-reaching influence in all countries in the world. After reading the novel, the author is rather shocked by the tragedy of Tess. Then decide to make this paper to bring out some analysis of Tess’s tragic story and summarizes causes for the purpose of deepening the understanding of Hardy’s thoughts.

2. Novel’s publication and present research status

Tess of the D’Urbervilles, like the other major works by Thomas Hardy, although technically a nineteenth century work, anticipates the twentieth century in regard to the nature and treatment of its subject matter. Tess of the D’Urbervilles was the twelfth novel published by Thomas Hardy. He began the novel in 1889 and it was originally serialized in the Graphic after being rejected by several other periodicals from July to December in 1891. It was finally published as a novel in December of 1891. Since the Novel published, critics have used different theories to make a lot of interpretation to the novel. In spite of this, however, most of the criticism and interpretation are focused on the same target, which is to explore the root of Tess's tragedy. Some state that Tess’s tragedy is due to her passive and obedient personality. Others attribute to dualism Victorian moral standards or male-dominated society. All analysis of the causes of Tess's tragedy in the past reveals the root cause of Tess's tragedy from a certain level, but all of these interpretations cannot be exhaustive. It requires us to constantly make new exploration, in order to have a new discovery.

3. Story main plot

Tess D’urbeyfield is the daughter of a poor villager who at the beginning of the novel discovers that he is the descendant of the ancient family of the D’urbervilles. So Tess is sent by her mother to visit the prosperous D’urbervilles and to claim kindred. She works there and is seduced by the young master of the house, Alec D’urbervilles, and has to return home in disgrace. She gives a birth to a child who dies in infancy, and she is considered a sinful woman. She then goes to work as a wage-laborer at a dairy farm. Angel Clare, son of a clergyman, goes to work also on the farm just for the experience of work, and he falls in love with Tess. He proposes to her and they arrange to get married. Then, on their wedding night, after Angel tells her of his past relations with a bad woman, Tess tells her whole story about Alec. But, while she forgives him readily, he is too much of hypocrite and a snob and thinks too much of his reputation and his honor to forgive her. He leaves her for Brazil and she goes home. Again the great poverty at her home forces her to come out to look for work, and after many vain attempts to secure work she arrives at a new capitalist farm where the working condition is of the worst and the hardest. She is insulted and oppressed by the master there. Then the news of her father’s death comes to her, and the family becomes homeless. This finally drives Tess to go back and seek for assistance from Alec who has now become a preacher whose religious calling does not prevent him from trying to renew his former relationship with Tess. Angel Clare has, however, somewhat repented of his harsh treatment to Tess and returns from Brazil to reconcile to her. Unfortunately, he finds Tess lives again with Alec. Tess realizes that Alec’s relations with her prevent her from going back to live happily with Angel for the second time, so she hates Alec for ruining her life and kills him. The police come after her after a short interval of happy life with Angel. She is arrested, tried, and hanged. 

Outline

1. Introduction

1.1 Brief introduction to Thomas Hardy

1.2 Story summary of Tess of the D’urbervilles

2. Causes of Tess’s Tragedy

2.1 Thomas Hardy’s pessimism and fatalism

2.2 The external causes in Tess's tragedy

2.2.1 The capitalist society environment

2.2.2 Tess’s special family situation

2.2.3 The “Satan” Alec and the “Angel” Clare

2.3 Tess’s own character contributes to the tragedy

3. Conclusion

三、参考文献

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