TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES

"Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy is a tragic novel that explores the life of Tess, a young woman from a poor rural family who discovers she is descended from a once-prominent aristocratic lineage. As Tess navigates love, guilt, and social expectations, she faces the harsh realities of Victorian society's treatment of women and the class divide. Through her struggles with personal identity, morality, and fate, Hardy examines themes of innocence, the consequences of social pressures, and the inescapability of destiny. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" is a poignant and powerful critique of societal hypocrisy, making it one of Hardy's most enduring and influential works.