[Hardy-l] Re: Thoughts on 'Tess'

[Charles.Anesi at wellsfargo.com]

Rosemarie,
Trying to avoid indelicacies here, but I would think the gelding of farm
animals, the careful segregation of bulls, rams, boars and stallions,
and myriad other things (like the use of the reddleman's wares for
example) would provide even the most clueless country lass with
overwhelming evidence.  Arabella certainly seemed to get the idea.  But
I suppose Tess could have been carefully sheltered.  Anyway, this is a
matter that does not seem to bother most  readers and certainly does not
interfere with my enjoyment of the novel or its dramatizations. 


Chuck Anesi
charles.anesi at wellsfargo.com
office 480-575-3478
cell 612-940-3345
fax 480-575-3519
 
** These opinions are strictly my own and not necessarily those of Wells
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-----Original Message-----
From: Rosemarie Morgan [mailto:Rosemarie.morgan at yale.edu] 
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:07 PM
To: hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
Subject: RE: [Hardy-l] Re: Thoughts on 'Tess'

Agreed, Chuck,  about Alec !

But Tess and innocence?  Well I don't know. We all had biology classes
(back in the 1950s) but not one of us in the girls' dorm was sure about
conception. I'd seen stallions on my father's estate mating with 
mares.  Scary but not very informative    Could you get pregnant if he 
kissed you? Yes-- roosters too -- so aggressive in pecking the necks of
the hens to pieces.  But what of bathing in the same water as a guy--
could his sperm somehow get into your body? Swimming pools were areas of
great anxiety, as were public lavatories. We were terrified.  How did it
all really work?

Now this is 1950.  Not 1890.

Think about it.

Cheers
Rosemarie



>The thing that has always perplexed me about the novel and its 
>dramatizations is the innocence of Tess.  Farms girls (or just country
>girls) ignorant of the facts of life are extremely rare or possibly 
>nonexistent, from my observations.


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