[hardy-l] More on the ending to Tess of the D'Urbervilles

[Susan Mary Farrell]

  I agree with you Paul.  Hardy's narratives are like rich tapestries, and
his descriptions are so vivid as to be almost palpable. Regarding Tess's
murder of Alec in my opinion I feel that Hardy was illustrating a number of
ideas, as well as having witnessed at age 16 the public hanging of Martha
Browne for killing her husband in a fit of rage for his infidelity.  It
apparently made a huge impression on him.  You can read about it on several
of the Hardy websites, if you don't already know about it.  I just learned
it myself.   Some of the ideas I think he was illustrating were Tess's
despair and repressed rage that erupted upon Angel's return - and it all
came out at Alec.  Angel deserved a good deal of his own punishment for what
he did, but of course Tess's love for him overrode her anger at him. I also
think Hardy was illustrating the general oppression - social, economic,
political - of women in his times, and perhaps their unconscious collective
rage of having "to take the fall" for many of the injustices of society and
religion.  That's the only way I can make sense in my own mind of the ending
of the novel.

  Just another non-scholar's opinion!  And of course I'm heavily influenced
by my own background in psychology.  In fact, 19th century novels are what
got me interested in psychology in the first place!

  Susan

 

 

Susan M. Farrell, LISW

 Senior Social Worker

 Counseling Assistance and Referral Services

    (CARS)

  University of New Mexico

  1800 Mesa Vista Rd NE

  Albuquerque, NM  87131

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  _____  

From: Paul Yuellig [mailto:paulyuellig at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 1:28 AM
To: Thomas Hardy
Subject: [hardy-l] More on the ending to Tess of the D'Urbervilles

 

I've always felt that Hardy was too morbid & bleak in his ending to Tess. To
me, Tess would not have had it in her to stab Alec. It might seem like...who
are you to comment on Hardy's storyline? Well, not only have I commented on
it...I have satisfied myself over this dislike in Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by writing my own, private ending to Hardy's wonderful novel. Of course, I
have not (and will not) made any attempt to publicize this "ending"...it is
only for my own enjoyment...so that I can have Tess end up happier...I think
she has earned it. To have Tess hung at a prison followed by Angel's
marrying Liza Lu is too much for me. I feel that Hardy is writing out his
own misery by having Tess take the fall for him. He is known to have had a
depressed view of life (by way of reading Darwin, the changing of rural
English life via the industrial revolution and also, his heavy and
unromantic marriage). This could have driven him to write such depressing
stories. I love Hardy's writing. His talent for description is wonderful. It
would have been nice if he had been happier. Far From the Madding Crowd is
easier to take and more realistic...just one person's opinion....

  

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