Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented
This is a tragic tale of a young woman named Tess who comes from a poor family in rural England. Tess is sent to work for a wealthy family, where she is seduced by a man who abandons her after she becomes pregnant. The baby dies, and Tess is ostracized by her community. She falls in love with a kind man, but when she confesses her past, he rejects her. Desperate and heartbroken, Tess murders her former seducer and is eventually captured and executed. The novel explores themes of fate, injustice, and the oppressive sexual morals of its time.
The 117th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1891
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 400-500
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.0)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Tess Dei D'urberville
- Tess Dos D'urbervilles
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 41 lists:
- 4th on Famous Authors Name Their Favorite Novels(from 1915) (New York Times)
- 9th on Top 50 Books (The Folio Society)
- 14th on 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die (The British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Society)
- 17th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 17th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 26th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 32nd on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 38th on 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers (Penguin (UK))
- 44th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 51st on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 73rd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 79th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 80th on Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time (Guardian)
- 90th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 183rd on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 261st on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))
- 100 Books You Must Read Before You Die (BBC Radio Oxford)
- 101 Significant Books (Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- All-Time Classics, According to Academics (The Commercial Appeal )
- An Expert's 200-Book List (The Detroit Free Press)
- Best Books Ever (Book Depository)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Have You Read 100 Great Books? (The Jasper Lee Company)
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List (Thomas C. Foster)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- Landmarks of World Literature (Cambridge University)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller (The National Review )