One of the books I “Read” through an audio book recently, was
Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of D’Urbervilles”. The second book from the author I have
read ( after “Far from the Maddening Days”), I selected
it, seeing that “Tess” was rated as the best of the author’s books, on an online rating of his books.
Hardy gives the novel an ethereal
feel (again – it is probably his signature ), with many a splendid description
of the rural life, which again is the platform for his narration. Be it a
winding misty mountainous road, dairy farming, harvesting or long journeys on
foot, Hardy is at his fabric, lifting the reader effortlessly into that environment, complimented by a language of such finesse, albeit hinting of the last
stages of a romantic era. As is to be
expected the unfolding of the novel takes it’s own time, as best suited to this
unhurried narration, from an unhurried era, told in an unhurried language. It is a book that doesn’t fail in creating
the mood of the environment in the reader’s
minds’ eye, plus the sense of the tragic which hover from start to end. From the moment of the realization of Tess’s parents’ relative simple mindedness , to
her sad end, things go downhill, which if placed on a numerical scale to
present the mood, starts from naught, and descends into the negative scale till
the very end, until it cannot possibly descend no more.
Yet, this book is rated high, for reasons besides it’s
tragic. Given the era of it’s creation, it questions the elevated place of the
Church, some of the dogmatic views that it holds , of course in a finesse that
even a holder of that belief cannot but awe at it’s presentation within the
narration. The beauty in its presentation is such that the genuineness of Rev. Clair
is never in doubt. His commitment to the teachings, his austerity and
dedication to his duty is presented in all fairness. The dogmatic nature of
some its’ teachings are questioned, by his son Angel, being of a questioning
mind frame unlike his siblings. Hardy
captures the debacle between those well endowed with faith, and those of a more
rational mind frame. For all the rationality that Angel is nurtured with, he
cannot accept the sad fate that had befallen Tess. The exact words that Angel uses, when asked
insistently whether she is forgiven is:
‘O Tess, forgiveness does not apply to the case! You
were one person; now you are another. My God—how can forgiveness meet such a
grotesque—prestidigitation as that!’
This shock, is too much for Angel to comprehend, and
it is this, which is at the root of Tess’s subsequent plight. It cannot be argued enough
that a more faith driven individual like his father may have given Tess more
compassion, which his faith makes it his nature. Angel Clare doesn’t have the
mental state of a religious person to forgive such a circumstance. This, while
he is susceptible to faults that of a sinning man. Then again the forgiveness
of a religious minded person, and the forgiveness expected from a lover may
quite be different things, and may not be compatible with each other. Even so,
a religion driven person may have found it easier to overcome the shock, and
accept Tess for who she is now discovered to be.
I read in certain reviews that this book is looked
upon as one challenging the religious climate of the era. It may seem to
challenge it in a superficial way, but deep down, when analyzing how Angel
Clair reacts, how his usual fair mindedness and rationality find it difficult
to rise up to task, I suspect that Hardy may have subtly promoted the richness
of a religious mindedness person, to serve life’s challenges, against one who
is not so endowed with such a faith.
All in all, an absorbing read. I for one fully endorse the rating by the
fore-mentioned site, that “Tess” rates higher than “maddening crowd”, and I
liked Far from the Maddening Crowd quite a lot, and think highly of it too.
That should say something about this book.
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