Tess of the D’ Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles was first published in 1891. The widespread reputation of the novel as the author’s masterpiece tends to obscure the significance of the circumstances under which it was published; even when it was finally published, the novel deeply offended many of its early reviewers and critics. Because of changing ideas about what it is permissible to say in fiction, it is easy now to overlook how genuinely shocking Tess was. This Penguin Student Edition has been designed for readers who are studying the novel in detail. Along with the full text, the editor provides a helpful introduction, character sketches, a text summary, a chronology, language notes and activities, and a selection of questions and topics for discussion and analysis, as well as suggestions for further reading and published critical responses. The book is accompanied by an audio CD of extracts.