At the time of its publication in 1891, TESS OF THE d'URBERVILLES was scorned by readers for what was then considered its indictment of Victorian society and its unconventional heroine, Tess Durbeyfield. Now considered one of the major classic novels of nineteenth-century literature, TESS is the compelling story of an extraordinary woman and her tragic destiny---a brilliant, transcendent work of compassion and courage by one of the finest English novelists, Thomas Hardy.

  At the time of its publication in 1891, TESS OF THE d"URBERVILLES was scorned by readers for what was then considered its indictment of Victorian society and its unconventional heroine, Tess Durbeyfield. Now considered one of the major classic novels of nineteenth-century literature, TESS is the compelling story of an extraordinary woman and her tragic destiny---a brilliant, transcendent work of compassion and courage by one of the finest English novelists, Thomas Hardy.

Introduction

Explanatory Note to the First Edition

Preface to the Fifth and Later Editions

Tess of the d"Urbervilles

Literary Allusions and Notes

Critical Excerpts

Thomas Hardy on Tess of the d"Urbervills

Suggestions for Further Reading