Tess of the d'Urbervilles Summary

The Story of Tess Durbeyfield

• Tess's father, John Durbeyfield, learns that he is a descendant of an ancient noble family, the d'Urbervilles.
• Tess briefly exchanges glances with a young man at the May Day dance.
• Tess's family decides to send her to the d'Urberville mansion, where they hope Mrs. d'Urberville will make her fortune.

Tess's Life at the d'Urberville Estate

• Tess gets a job tending fowls on the d'Urberville estate, procured by Alec d'Urberville, Mrs. d'Urberville's son.
• Tess spends several months resisting Alec's attempts to seduce her.
• Alec takes advantage of Tess one night after a fair, resulting in her pregnancy.

Tess's Return Home and Meeting Angel Clare

• Tess returns home to give birth to Alec's child, whom she christens Sorrow.
• Sorrow dies soon after birth, and Tess spends a miserable year at home.
• Tess decides to seek work elsewhere and becomes a milkmaid at the Talbothays Dairy.
• At Talbothays, Tess enjoys a period of contentment and happiness.
• She befriends fellow milkmaids Izz, Retty, and Marian and meets Angel Clare, who turns out to be the man from the May Day dance.
• Tess and Angel slowly fall in love, and she eventually accepts his proposal of marriage.

Tess's Marriage and Consequences

• After their wedding, Angel and Tess both confess their past indiscretions.
• Tess tells Angel about her history with Alec, and Angel forgives her but also expects her to forgive him for his past affair.
• Angel gives Tess some money and boards a ship bound for Brazil, leaving Tess behind.

Tess's Struggles and Alec's Return

• Tess struggles to find work and takes a job at an unpleasant farm.
• She tries to visit Angel's family but overhears his brothers discussing Angel's poor marriage, so she leaves.
• Tess hears a wandering preacher speak and discovers that he is Alec d'Urberville, who has been converted to Christianity.
• Alec begs Tess never to tempt him again, then later begs her to marry him, having turned his back on his religious ways.

The Climax of the Story

• Tess learns of her mother's illness and returns home to take care of her.
• Her mother recovers, but her father unexpectedly dies soon after.
• When the family is evicted from their home, Alec offers help, but Tess refuses.
• Angel decides to forgive Tess and finds her at an expensive boardinghouse called The Herons.
• Tess tells Angel he has come too late, and she has gone back to Alec d'Urberville.

The Tragic End

• Tess goes upstairs and stabs Alec to death.
• When the landlady finds Alec's body, Tess has already fled to find Angel.
• Angel agrees to help Tess, and they hide out in an empty mansion for a few days.
• They travel, eventually arriving at Stonehenge, where Tess is arrested and sent to jail.
• A black flag is raised over the prison, signaling Tess's execution.

Themes of the Novel

The Injustice of Existence

• Unfairness dominates the lives of Tess and her family, reflecting a general aspect of human existence in the novel.
• Christianity offers little solace of heavenly justice for unhappiness suffered in this life.

Changing Ideas of Social Class in Victorian England

• The novel presents complex pictures of both the importance of social class and the difficulty of defining class in any simple way.
• Definitions of class have changed, with cash mattering more than lineage in Victorian England.

Men Dominating Women

• The novel highlights the way men can dominate women, exerting power over them linked primarily to their maleness.
• Examples include Alec's abuse of Tess, Angel's idealized picture of Tess, and the unhealthy obsession of Retty and Marian with Angel.