Novel – Experiments in Criticism

Tess of the D’urbervilles: A Covenantal Plot

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’urbervilles displays the doubt and religious skepticism of the late Victorian period. I’m teaching it right now. It is more overt in its engagement with religion than Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations and more problematic. Here’s an outline of the plot using the covenant model. Tess Durbeyfield, a beautiful country girl, appears fated for troubleContinue reading “Tess of the D’urbervilles: A Covenantal Plot”