Tess of the d'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardyliterary work· published 1891
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An intimate portrait of a woman, one of literature's most admirable and tragic heroines...Tess Durbeyfield knows what it is to work hard and expect little. But her life is about to veer from the path trod by her mother and grandmother. When her ne'er-do-well father learns that his family is the last of a long noble line, the d'Urbervilles, he sends Tess on a journey to meet her supposed kin—a journey that will see her victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy. Shaped by an acute sense of social injustice and by a vision of human fate cosmic in scope, her story is a singular blending of harsh realism and poignant beauty. Thomas Hardy created in Tess not a standard Victorian heroine but a woman whose intense vitality shines against the bleak backdrop of a dying way of life.
Adaptations (7)
Tess of the d'Urbervilles has been adapted 7 times, across film and television series, from 1913 to 2011. The most recent is Trishna (2011).
Tess of the d'Urbervilles1913 · film · dir. J. Searle Dawley · IMDb ↗IMDb6.0A peasant girl sent to make a claim on her family's ancestral home in England's Wessex is seduced and left with child by its current owner.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles1924 · film · 80 min · dir. Marshall Neilan · IMDb ↗IMDb6.6A young girl is seduced and raped by an older middle class man in Victorian England. After moving on with her path, she gets married. All is well until her husband discovers her past. Leading her on a life of wandering, murder, and execution.
Dulhan Ek Raat Ki1966 · film · 170 min · dir. D.D. Kashyap · IMDb ↗IMDb6.8Arrogant son of a wealthy, blind woman, rapes his mother's nurse and abandons her. She gets pregnant but the child does not live, and she continues to live her life and follow up on her love life, only to face the past, and her "reformed" rapist.
Tess1979 · film · 186 min · dir. Roman Polanski · IMDb ↗A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumour that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles1998 · television series · 180 min · dir. Ian Sharp · IMDb ↗IMDb7.7Thomas Hardy's classic epic remains one of the most popular novels, this TV adaptation vividly depicts the powerful tale of a peasant girl whose life is torn apart by the love and jealousy of two men. Justine Waddell stars as the hapless Child of Nature who is tossed around by the dark forces of fate. Jason Flemyng is the dark and sinister Alec D'Urberville whose relentless pursuit of Tess triggers the heroine's downfall. Oliver Milburn plays the handsome young Angel Clare, the caring rebel who falls deeply in love with Tess.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles2008 · television series · 2 min · IMDb ↗IMDb7.6The story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections.
Trishna2011 · film · 117 min · dir. Michael Winterbottom · IMDb ↗When her father is killed in a road accident, Trishna's family expect her to provide for them. The rich son of an entrepreneur starts to restlessly pursue her affections, but are his intentions as pure as they seem?
