[Hardy-l] Tess

[sheskijoan at hotmail.com]

Carolyn, it is Pauline who mentioned 'surreal'.  I, being in the US, have not seen the production, and was commenting on the first mansion scenes in the novel.  However, it is interesting to compare the two mansions in which Angel and Tess spend time.  Is the first the D'Urberville mansion...with portraiture? Are we then in Tess's (and Alec's?) decaying ancestry? What about the other mansion?  I have to reread these parts of Tess, but am presently involved in other study - up to my ears!  Best, Joan

From: sheskijoan at hotmail.com
To: hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
Subject: RE: [Hardy-l] Tess
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:53:48 -0600








One of the most important things about Tess and Angel in the mansion, on their wedding night, is that they do not have sex - Tess's confession of her past (Alex's appropriation of her body) destroys Angel's image of Tess as a virginal fresh flower of innocence; he cannot see past his own 'Angelic' standards. This tragedy of misperception, while tearing the two of them apart, links everything in the story together.  Best regards, Joan Sheski

From: pauline.guerin at ntlworld.com
To: hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:54:20 +0100
Subject: [Hardy-l] Tess
















Having just re-read the end of Tess, I agree with Terry that
the recent tv adapation was fairly true to the story, although there is no
mention of them having sexual relations in the mansion.  (Unfortunately, I
only got the chance to see the last episode, so I can’t comment on the
rest of it).

 

However, there was something vaguely irritating about it, as
though they had attempted to make it rather too surreal.  I don’t
know I can’t put a finger on it.  Maybe the comment about it having
been ‘Eastendered’ is exactly what the problem was, and I did feel
that there was something of a ‘nastification’ about it.

 

 

>Swearing, gratuitous sex,  titillating images,
outrageous invented 

>scenes and a general nastification are some of the
reasons for my 

>disappointment with a wasted 4 hour opportunity.

 

 

I would be interested to hear other views on the rest of the
series, because I have to say that having seen that last episode I would be
loath to see the rest.

 

Kind regards

 

Pauline

 

 

 

 

Pauline Guerin MA







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