Tess phase 1 (The maiden) quotes+ meaning

“fields are never brown and the springs never dry” chapter 2

+green and abundant life showing how iddylic her life was pre-rape with garden of eden imagery as it feels so preserved.

+tess parralls her surrondings and marlott is pure, virginal, untouched by industirlsation and sheltered.

“large innocent eyes” chapter 2

+deer imagery- she’s prey

“only one of the white company who could boast of such a pronounced adornment” + “her mobile peony lip”

+hardy’s male gaze showing though these quotes as they objectify the minor tess. voyeriusm at it’s finest as hardy takes pleasure in describing her appearance

+class commentary: her parents dictate her life cos she’s uneducated so easy to take advantage of

“three young men of a superior class'‘

+class commentary as they’re immediately presented as higher up and having more control.

“I was inclined to go and have a fling with them”- chapter 2

angel’s attraction to ‘pure’ girls immediately established.

“he dismissed the subject from his mind” chapter 2

angel is careless and doesn't;t care for tess’s feelings or emotions.

“her daughter who had passed the Sixth Standard in the National School”- chapter 3

+hardy establishing the difference and divide between Tess and her family and as a result her dialect is more refined BUT she feels a sense of obligation to help her family due to better prospects.

+generatuons are indicated via the characters dialect but it also indicates to the damaging effects of industrialisation leaving marlott behind.

+AO3: tess had attended a national school- which existed throgoit England was one of the key ways that the poor accessed education. this was until the 1870 education act (made education available to all) then the 1891 education act (made education free). Tess’s Goal was to become a teacher, but her family’s desire to improve their social position by using her thwaterd it.

“when she had so carelessly greened about the skirt on the damping grass”- chapter 3

+working class heroine rare so he elevates her via being self-critical, diaclet and education

“violently rocking” chapter 3

semantic field of boats. the kids are helpless victims of fate and are victims to the whims of their irresponsible parents therefore they’re the catalyst for tess’s downfall.

“but Joan Durbeyfield must mind that she doesn’t get green matt in the floor” chapter 4

+that tess doesn’t come back pregnant sympthing with tess’s lack of education adding to her vunerability. wuthering heights link as Isabella also made vulnerable though her lack of education.

“And my project is to send Tess to claim kin” chapter 4

+joan’s condtional love for tess, only caring for tess when she can help joan

“a blighted star” chapter 4

+fate: it’s tragic inevitablity and she was destined to suffer plus lexical field of stars linking to boats and parent’s responablity in being reason for her suffering

“nobody blamed Tess like she blamed herself” chapter 4

+takes reponsablity for prince’s death while also showing how quick she is is blame herself.

“built for enjoyment, pure and simple” chapter 5

Alec’s house reflects his character and how he just likes fun+ red house is like Alec’s rape of her as it violates the countryside (tess) like industrialisation that disrupts the landscape.

“everything looked like money” chapter 5

+industrilsation: the modern house ruins the countryside. tess is metaphor for old way of life.

“Simple Tess Durbeyfield” chapter 5

+highlighs her innocence and virginity.

“Well hello there my beauty” chapter 5

First impression of Alec immedailty using a possessive pronoun to highlight the male gaze and he’s sexualising her pronto.

“Ripened early” chapter 5

+the strawberries are a metaphor for Tess’s development and her appearance.

“she obeyed like she was in a dream” chapter 5

+she has no autonomy at all and to procet her innocence/purity her mind aways makes sure she’s unconscious during moments of crisis (rape, princes death)

“Thus the thing began” chapter 5

+grounds her stay into reality with parralls to Greek drama esp with hades and fruit to trap Persephone.

“roses in her breast” chapter 6

+she’s naive and can’t recongize danger. they cut her chin.

“The light-minded woman had been discovering good matches for her daughter almost from the year she was born.” chapter 6

+joan had always intended to marry Tess off to a wealthy dude to get her family outta poverty- class commentary.

“do what you like with me” chapter 7

+she’s a passive victim and has no autonomy even in her own home essentially being pimped out by her own mother being expected to do grown up things while delbitray being dressed as a child.

“no, stupid: her face as ‘twas mine”

+her face (and virginty) is her trump card to improve her situation. male gaze.

“the kiss of mastery” chapter 8

+Alec holds sig more power then, Tess with a very unequal power balance. Alec thinks (and knows) that Tess will be easy to take advantage of.

“artful hussy” chapter 8

+means manipulative whore and implies that she’s leading him on. madonna-whore complex as Alec assumes she’s sexually available and that he’s done this spiel before, with more unconsental encounters then consental ones.

“had dealt the same measure even more ruthlessly towards peasant girls of their time” chapter 11

+it’s fate and inevitable that eventually Tess would have a MeToo story highlighting society’s flaws and how this shit goes on unchecked.

“practically blank as snow as yet, there should have traced such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive;” chapter 11

+fate for tess to suffer

“darkness and silence ruled everywhere” chapter 11

+Tess and Alec are isolated and no one can help. highlights’s tess vunerability.

“Where was Tess’s guardian angel?” chapter 11

+relgious crictism as she’s abandoned by everyone who should care- her parents and even fucking God- and as a result left unguarded and vunerable to predators like Alec.

+the intention was to make the reader perceive tess as innocent and hardy does this to remind us that society will blame tess so this ensures the readers are on her side.

“beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer” chapter 11

+Tess is delicate plus emphasises how society treats feminine sexuality as delicate with irreparable permanent damage.

“Scorned by average human nature” chapter 11

+victim-blaming is rife in society and reminds readers that this is Tess’s fate.

“Every day seemed to throw upon her young shoulders more of the family burdens” chapter 5

+tess feels the burnt of her family’s responabilitys motiving her to do things she wouldn't otherwise such as agree to Alec’s marriage proposal and go to Alec’s place in the first place. being protective and deeply maternal for her siblings is a core part of her character and influences every descion she makes.

“phases of her childhood remained still” chapter 2

+voyerisum and how tess is sexualised. zero autonomy- only valued for her body.