Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Published in 1891, Tess of the D'Urbervilles chronicles the devastating path of Tess Durbeyfield, a woman trapped within Victorian England's harsh moral codes and class structures. Her experiences of abuse, abandonment, and unwavering determination challenge society's brutal judgments. Hardy uses Tess's narrative to examine virtue, moral pretense, and the collision between established customs and emerging social attitudes, revealing how these pressures destroy individual existence.