Tessay

Tess of the D ’ Urbervilles Tessay Choices

1. The significance of a title may not fully be appreciated or understood until the end of the novel. Considering that the original title of //Tess of the D’Urbervilles// once included the subtitle **“A Pure Woman,”** write an essay showing how Hardy uses selection of **detail, figurative language, and contrast with other characters** to establish Tess as a **virtuous** woman.

2. Setting is the physical environment in which action occurs. It includes **time** and **place**. In many novels and plays, setting is used significantly. For example, the author may employ it as a motivating force in human behavior, as a reflection of the state of **mind** and **body** of characters, or as a representation of the **values** held by characters. Using Hardy’s novel //Tess of the D’Urbervilles//, write an essay in which you explain the uses the author makes of the setting.

3. Looking back over the novel, Hardy uses **coincidence** and **foreshadowing** frequently (especially at the ends of phases) in his plot structure to **develop the narrative** and **affect the reader’s emotions**. Choose an example of each and explain how it both develops the plot and pathos for the protagonist Tess.

4. //Tess of the D’Urbervilles// is a **bildungsroman** novel, or one that shows a character’s growth from innocence to experience, naïveté to wisdom. Choose **three** specific episodes from the novel (roughly at the beginning, middle, and end) that demonstrate Tess’s growth. Remember, when you discuss change of any kind, you must discuss that change in terms of "from_to__" to show the full range of a change.

5. Tragic works often contain an element of **redemption**, something good that comes out of the bad. Although hardy's works seem overwhelmingly fatalistic in tone, discuss the redemptive value/message related to the **return of Angel from Brazil, the scene at Stonehenge, and Tess’s death.**