| The immorality attached to Tess's past has been | | | | of mankind had been quite distinct. But . . . she |
| established as 'unnatural', and this brings about a | | | | could not get on. (p.377)If there is any optimism, |
| crisis for both of them, in which fate plays its part | | | | or tendency to suggest a code of conduct in |
| in making the results as tragic as possible. Later, | | | | Hardy, it is in these humanistic ideas. And if there |
| Angel says that if Tess had told him her history | | | | is any tendency towards a religion involving |
| earlier he might have been able to accept it. Tess | | | | worship of a superior being, it is towards a |
| must be held to blame for not telling him, though | | | | natural, a-moral object, the sun.His present aspect, |
| fate, in the letter she wrote him remaining | | | | coupled with the lack of human forms in the |
| unseen, and social pressure from her mother, are | | | | scene, explained the old time heliolatries in a |
| also partly responsible. Angel has imagined himself | | | | moment. One could feel that a saner religion has |
| to be an enlightened humanist, but when he | | | | never prevailed under the sky. (p.122)It is evident |
| discovers his wife's immoral history he finds that | | | | that Hardy regards Christianity as a worthless |
| his new attitudes have penetrated no deeper than | | | | debasement of primitive spiritual ideas |
| his intellect.'I do forgive you, but forgiveness is not | | | | (sun-worship) from the bitter irony of this |
| all.' | | | | comment:but on this day of vanity, the Sun's-day, |
| 'And love me?' | | | | when flesh went forth to coquet with flesh wile |
| To this question he did not answer. (p.274-5)And | | | | hypocritically affecting business with spiritual things |
| Tess, as she often does, verbalises the viewpoint | | | | (p.182)It is on the ancient altar of this 'saner |
| Hardy is expressing through her:'It is in your own | | | | religion' that Tess is finally sacrificed to |
| mind what you are angry at Angel; it is not in me.' | | | | spiritually-empty modern society.By killing Alec |
| (p.274)So the intellectual and free-thinking Angel is | | | | Tess freed herself from the man who twice |
| the 'slave to custom and conventionality' (p.309), | | | | separated her from her lover, and allowed herself |
| and the relatively ignorant Tess is the true | | | | and Angel a few days of happiness together. But |
| humanist. It takes Angel a year of travelling and | | | | in Hardy's view this kind of happiness, between |
| suffering during which 'he had mentally aged a | | | | two enlightened people who take upon |
| dozen years' (p.388) before he can throw off his | | | | themselves responsibility for their own moral |
| strictly moral upbringing and realise the validity of | | | | conduct, cannot be but short-lived.The incongruity |
| Tess's viewpoint.Religious belief is further | | | | of modern policeman surrounding the ancient |
| undermined by the rapid conversion, then | | | | temple of Stonehenge indicates Hardy's view that |
| de-conversion of Alec d'Urbeville. He believes | | | | modern man is in a spiritually hopeless state, as |
| himself to be sincere, but Hardy shows his | | | | does Tess's attitude on being captured.'It is as it |
| fanaticism to be a passing fad. It is during the | | | | should be,' she murmured. 'Angel, I am almost glad |
| arguments between Tess and Alec, (the dialectic | | | | - yes, glad! This happiness could not have lasted. It |
| nature of which puts rather a strain on the reality | | | | was too much. I have had enough; and now I shall |
| of Tess as a character), that Hardy seems to | | | | not live for you to despise me!' (p.447)Bibliography |
| indicate his own beliefs.Alec: 'You seem to have | | | | Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the d'Urbervilles. New |
| no religion . . . ' | | | | Wessex edition introduced by P. N. Furbank. |
| Tess: 'But I have. Though I don't believe in | | | | London. Macmillan. 1974. (Tess of the d'Urbervilles |
| anything supernatural . . . I believe in the spirit of | | | | First published 1891)Copyright: Ian MackeanIan |
| the Sermon on the Mount' (p.368)Tess: 'Why, you | | | | Mackean runs the sites which features a |
| can have the religion of loving-kindness and purity | | | | substantial collection of Resources and Essays, |
| at least, if you can't have - what do you call it - | | | | (and where his site on Short Story Writing can |
| dogma.' (p.377)To develop his argument Hardy | | | | also be found,) and He is the editor of The |
| has to admit the inadequacy of Tess as a | | | | Essentials of Literature in English post-1914, ISBN |
| spokesperson:She tried to argue, and tell him that | | | | 0340882689, which was published by Hodder |
| he had mixed in his dull brain two matters, | | | | Arnold in 2005. |
| theology and morals, which in the primitive days | | | | |