[Hardy-l] Tess--What is Joan's fault?

[Pauline Guerin]

Well, yes... actually... mothers often did tell their daughters such things,
(possibly still do to some degree) from personal experience I know that my
maternal grandmother said as much to my mother, and subsequently my own
mother, when I was really quite young, put the fear of god into me regarding
boys/men/males (dammit!).  I was scared of men for many, many years;
apparently they were all out to get me pregnant!    

This is a difficult question because it would easy to say that mother's have
a duty to their daughters in such matters, but of course Tess is set in a
completely different era.  We'd like to think that she would feel this
responsibility towards her daughter, but of course sex was somewhat more
taboo in those days, perhaps the mother simply didn't see the 'gorgeousness'
of Tess.  Also, and in my experience, men don't always feel comfortable
'hitting' on the gorgeous girls, maybe that is why Alec felt it was better
to rape her in case she'd said no!  

Regards


Pauline



Pauline Guerin MA





] Tess--What is Joan's fault?

>I thought she meant how men could be seducers..

This must be a girl thing, because I just don't get it.  What was her
mother supposed to tell Tess -- "I warn you Tess, men may try to seduce
you?"  Kind of hard to believe this gorgeous lass had never had anyone
hit on her before Alec.  
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