Tess of the D’Urbervilles was a controversial work when it first appeared in the early 1890s. The serialized version of 1891 was heavily censored and the full novel of 1892 received mixed reviews, largely because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England. The book’s reputation has since grown considerably and it is now routinely cited as Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece.
The richly descriptive narrative is rife with unforgettable vignettes of rural life in late 19th-century England but the story’s timeless power stems from its heart-wrenching romance and the tragic experiences – or fate, as Hardy might have put it – of the eponymous heroine.