[Hardy-l] The Facts of LLife/Tess

[Goldie Morgentaler]

It seems to me that there is a world of difference between knowing the
facts of life and actually experiencing them first-hand. Also, innocence
does not necessarily imply ignorance. Tess may know about the birds and
the bees, but she may not necessarily know how this applies to her.  If
you want another Victorian portrait of a country girl who should know
about the consequences of  sexual involvement with a man and yet appears
remarkably "innocent" about the consequences of such an involvement check
out Hetty Sorrel in Adam Bede. I also question the assumption that country
girls would necessarily be more knowing, in the sense of being
experienced, than city girls.  Innocence is a moral quality usually
associated with youth and a lack of experience. It surely refers to more
than just a rudimentary knowledge of how animals mate,

Goldie Morgentaler