When the impoverished Durbeyfield family learn that they may be descendants of the royal d’Urberville family, they are delighted at the thought of owning a potential fortune and ask their daughter, young Tess, to go and stake their claim. She initially refuses, but is forced to go when she accidentally kills their horse and cripples their livelihood. But her meeting with Alec d’Urberville goes horribly wrong, and she returns home in shame. Tess later falls in love with the kind Angel Clare but is forced to make a difficult decision: to tell him the truth of her past and face the consequences, or to remain silent. The book was controversial when first published and deemed “socially unacceptable” by some as Hardy’s uniquely feminist portrayal of Tess challenged the sexual morals of the time.

An urgent, illuminating exploration of the social nature of shame and of how it might be used to promote large-scale political change and social reform. “[Jacquet] exposes the ways shame plays into collective ideas of punishment and reward, and the social mechanisms that dictate the ways we dictate our behavior.” —The Boston Globe Examining how we can retrofit the art of shaming for the age of social media, Jennifer Jacquet shows that we can challenge corporations and even governments to change policies and behaviors that are detrimental to the environment. Urgent and illuminating, Is Shame Necessary? offers an entirely new understanding of how shame, when applied in the right way and at the right time, has the capacity to keep us from failing our planet and, ultimately, from failing ourselves.

Story of Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager.

This classic novel tells the story of how the poor rural couple John and Joan Durbeyfield become convinced that they are descended from the ancient family of d’Urbervilles. They encourage their innocent daughter Tess to cement a connection with the d’Urberville family, including their unprincipled son Alec, with tragic consequences. “A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented,” as Hardy subtitled the novel, represented a direct challenge to conventional Victorian notions of sexuality and femininity. This is a revised, updated, and expanded Broadview edition that highlights a feminist interpretation of the novel in an extensive introduction. The range of historical appendices (including contemporary articles, letters, maps, news stories, and reviews) will greatly enhance a reader’s understanding of the text.

Tess Durbeyfield is a young and innocent country girl whose life takes a tumultuous turn when she discovers her noble lineage. Seduced and betrayed by the wealthy Alec d'Urberville, Tess's life is marked by hardship, tragedy, and unfulfilled dreams. As Tess grapples with the consequences of her past and struggles to find redemption, she faces the harsh realities of a society that judges her for her perceived sins and tarnished reputation. Through Tess's journey, Hardy explores themes of class, gender, and the cruelty of fate, painting a vivid and poignant portrait of a woman's struggle for agency and dignity in a world determined to oppress her. Tess of the D’Ubervilles was criticized for challenging sexual morals when it was first published in 1891, but has since then gone on to become an enduring classic and one of the major novels of the 19th century. THOMAS HARDY [1840-1928] was an English poet and author. His work is characterized by realism and criticism of the strict Victorian ideals which he believed limited people's lives and happiness. He achieved great success with the novel Under the Greenwood Tree [1872] and continued with successes such as Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

Tess is just a humble milkmaid when the local landowner has his wicked way. Her new beau, the smarmy Angel Clare, is none too pleased when he finds out she's already been deflowered. What is a girl to do? Bloody revenge of course, and an ending to touch the hardest of hearts.