Historical fiction book · Curated
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy · historical fiction
When the Durbeyfields learn they may be fallen d’Urbervilles, young Tess is sent to claim kin at Trantridge—and Alec d’Urberville’s assault sends her from a Wessex dairy and a marriage to Angel Clare toward the gallows at Wintoncester. Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel is Victorian literary historical fiction of class, purity myths, and a woman England would not forgive.
Why read it: A perennial title-search nineteenth-century historical novel—the Hardy classic readers still look up by name, and a Wessex counterpart to Eliot and the Brontës already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy is historical fiction set around 1870s–1880s in the Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including Wessex, Dorset, Trantridge, Talbothays. When the Durbeyfields learn they may be fallen d’Urbervilles, young Tess is sent to claim kin at Trantridge—and Alec d’Urberville’s assault sends her from a Wessex dairy and a marriage to Angel Clare toward the gallows at Wintoncester. Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel is Victorian literary historical fiction of class, purity myths, and a woman England would not forgive.
On HisFic we tag it under 1. Literary historical fiction and 2. Historical romance so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include class, purity, fate, rural life, and injustice. A perennial title-search nineteenth-century historical novel—the Hardy classic readers still look up by name, and a Wessex counterpart to Eliot and the Brontës already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
When the Durbeyfields learn they may be fallen d’Urbervilles, young Tess is sent to claim kin at Trantridge—and Alec d’Urberville’s assault sends her from a Wessex dairy and a marriage to Angel Clare toward the gallows at Wintoncester. Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel is Victorian literary historical fiction of class, purity myths, and a woman England would not forgive. A perennial title-search nineteenth-century historical novel—the Hardy classic readers still look up by name, and a Wessex counterpart to Eliot and the Brontës already on the shelf.
Subgenres
Eras
Browse this mix
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
Wessex · Dorset · Trantridge · Talbothays · England
Themes
- class
- purity
- fate
- rural life
- injustice
Tags
classic · literary