AnAnalysisofheCausesofTess’sTragedy_开题报告

一、Literature Review

    TESS of the D'URBERVILLES is one of the famous novels written by Thomas Hardy who is a critical novelist at the end the 19th century in Britain, which is a turmoil age. Thomas Hardy was an acclaimed poet in his time .The moving plot, the unique writing style attract lots of readers and also many writers. The novel exposes the cruel contradiction between the corrupted capitalist society and the noble individual spirits, embodied in Tess. In this thesis, the author sorts out the works about this topic.

(一)Studies abroad

Fatalism is manifested in the TESS of the D'URBERVILLES which cause great attention of the scholars. Fatalism is “that view of life which says all actions is controlled by the nature of things or by fate which is a great impersonal primitive force existing through all eternity absolutely independent of human will and superior to any good created by man”.（Lorraine M. Force, 1966:10)  

The tragedy of Tess is the result of several factors’ interaction. Some scholars think that Angel not only has the enlightened thought, but also the traditional moral prejudice. It is Angel who kills Tess indirectly but more cruelly. “When Tess needs love more than herself, she has completely given herself over to Angel, who abruptly withdraws and crushes her. The injury he inflicts on her is therefore much more severe than anything Alec could have done.” (Robert Ackerman, 1964:37)

(二)Studies at home

Since its publication, TESS of the D'URBERVILLES has attracted the attention of scholars in our country. Tess, the central character of the novel that bears her name, is strikingly attractive, and distinguished by her deep moral sensitivity and passionate intensity. However, as a daughter of poor peasants, she is reduced to a wage laborer, possessing low social status. 

Chen Yanling and Feng Zihan held that the male factor (Alec and Angel) played great role in the tragedy of Tess. For them, Alec D’Urbervilles destroys Tess physically, while Angel Clare makes a fatal blow to Tess’s spirit. The loss of chastity does not kill all Tess’s desire for love and hope, but Angel’s desertion and her hopelessness of love for Angel make her lose courage to live.( 陈艳玲、冯子函,2008)

“The god treats us just as the naughty child treats a fly. He kills us for his pleasure. Fate seemed to be hidden in the accidents beyond people’s imagination.” (时雪华，2007:102)

From much analysis, encountering so many cases, it seems that Tess’s tragedy is doomed. Tess’s tragic fate is not only of herself, but also of the time she lives in.By means of analyzing all the above factors, this thesis gradually portrays the tragic fate of Tess and the darkness of the social reality .All in all, the tragedy portrayed in Tess of the D'Urbervilles is really a social tragedy and this very tragedy has fully revealed a profoundly pessimistic sense of human subjection to fate and circumstance—Hardy’s fatalism. 

二、Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 A Brief Introduction of Thomas Hardy and His Fatalism

1.2 A Brief Introduction of Tess of the D’URBERVILLS

2. External Causes of Tess’s Tragic Fate

2.1 The Social Causes

2.1.1 Hypocritical Capitalist Morals

2.1.2 Poverty and Decay of Farmers

2.1.3 Unequal Legal System

2.2 Alec and Angel's Influence

2.2.1The Direct Murderer—Alec

2.2.2. The Accomplice—Angel

3. Internal Causes of Tess’s Tragic Fate

3.1 Tess’s Illusion and Submission toward Love

3.2 Tess’s Innocence and Obedience to Her Parents

3. Conclusion

三、Reference

[1] Ackerman·R·Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles·America Simon and Schuster International Publishing House·1996

[2] Lorraine M. Force. Cliffs Notes on Hardy's Tess of the D’URBERVILLS [J].           Cliffs Notes, 1966

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