Because of its sexual frankness and indictment of Victorian hypocrisy, Hardy`s novel was considered shocking when it was published in 1891. It is the tale of Tess Durbeyfield, a young country girl whose rape by Alec D`Urberville, a distant aristocratic relative, leads to pregnancy. Tess`s baby dies, and she finds work as a dairymaid at a farm where no one knows her story. From that point, her life, which includes marriage with a man, Angel Clare, who fails to realize her worth, enters a downward spiral, culminating in the sensational tragedy that is at the heart of the book. The cynical and sophisticated Alec`s seduction of a country girl, and the self-righteous Angel`s destructive idealization of her, can be seen as symbols of the city`s ruthless exploitation of the English countryside--a common theme in Hardy`s fiction. His compassionate portrait of a young countrywoman was also characteristic of his writing, which never failed to champion the cause of rural lives and values against those of the corrupting city. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.