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

[Niemeyer, Paul J.]

My namesake Paul calls to mind the fact that the 1924 movie of TESS was released with alternate endings: theater owners could opt to show one where Tess is hanged or one where Tess is reprieved and goes off to live happily ever after with Angel.  This is perhaps an early instance of what we think of as "fan fiction"--where a person rewrites a popular work to create the ending it "should have had."  Such things are fine; but, to me, Hardy's endings--melancholy, bittersweet, tragic, bleak--are among the things that make Hardy Hardy.  Life isn't always what we want it to be, virtue isn't always rewarded, and no one gets out of here alive (have I exhausted the cliches?).  Heck, I would even agrue that, as in life, the sadness of Hardy's endings make us better appreciate the good and beautiful things that came before.
 
Best,
 
Paul (Niemeyer)

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From: Paul Yuellig 
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. ...I have satisfied myself over this dislike in Tess of the D'Urbervilles by writing my own, private ending to Hardy's wonderful novel. 

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