Tess of the d'Urbervilles - my mad fiction love. Making kdramas look upbeat since 19th century

[dangermousie]

I plan to do a back-to-back watch of 1998 and 2008 adaptations of one of my favorite Victorian novels, Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles, whose tragic heroine is destroyed both by the sheer brutality of physical survival and the rigid social mores of Victorian England. I am clearly a glutton for punishment but then I like Hardy, so that is not a surprise...

(Yes, I am on a period fiction kick).

Want to hear an unpopular opinion?

I like Angel Clare. Yup, Angel from Tess of the d'Urbervilles. I first read Tess in March 2001 and fell madly in love with the novel. It remains my favorite Thomas Hardy work, because it makes me want to tear out my hair in despair less than his other books.

Tess herself is an incredible heroine - tragic, ground down by life, strong and weak at once, naive, lashing out. It's pretty common to like her.

But liking her husband Angel is not, usually, a popular stance. There are two men who loom large in Tess' life. First is Alec who rapes her (though there is an indication that Tess might have not struggled as much as she could and even 'surrendered' - Hardy does not use it to make Alec's act less reprehensible but to make Tess feel culpable under Victorian, opressive standards - those ridiculous standards are one of the driving points in the book and the root of her tragedy). Second is Angel, who marries her, leaves her on their wedding night in shock after discovering her past (Tess is an unworldly idiot who tells him) because of his likewise Victorian principles, and comes back to her because he loves her and recognizes he was wrong, but it is too late.

I think I like Angel in part because the only time we see Tess truly happy is when she was with him. His reaction is not praiseworthy but not surprising - he is not only a Victorian and a product of his time, but he is unworldly and ridiculously young and a purist, all qualities which the reader could see ten miles off, even if Tess couldn't.

And he comes back to her. In fact, ironically, while he left her because of the fact that she's had sex with another man, sex that wasn't willing (though in the telling of it to him, I am not sure how much Tess emphasized that fact and did not dwell on her 'shameful' surrender) but when he comes back to her, he begs her to come back even though she is now a kept woman. He doesn't seem to care she is a higher class of whore now. Not that she becomes a murderess even. And so I, as a reader, can't help but forgive him - he does make up for it.

Anyway. Apparently I am not the only one - yes. People make Tess/Angel mvs (this is from the excellent BBC adaptation).

Final scene:

I haven't seen this 2008 version but I love the earlier one with Justine Waddell and Oliver Milburn from 1998 like mad. This is my fave scene from it:

Proposal (seriously - this spells disaster from get-go):

Here is a MV for the 1998 version:

Comments

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

I have a shameful admission to make: whenever I hear about Tess of the d'Urbervilles, I think "ah, the one with the giant ghostly dog". Yup, I always confuse it with The Hound of the Baskervilles! (I'm sure I've read the latter but not the Hardy book, and I've been confusing the two for umpteen years.) But I have the latest adaptation sitting in a pile of DVDs, waiting to be watched, so in the future I will surely never make that embarrassing mistake again ;-).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOLOL. Yes, nothing in common :)

I haven't seen 2008 version yet but the bits I did see from it were gorgeous. It does seem a little less faithful, dialogue-wise, to Hardy, than the 1998 version.

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

god, i love Hardy. haven't read any in an age, but i remember sucking them down like wine when i was in high school. who, me, emo? and i'm totally with you -- i loved Angel. he was clearly the only choice and love for Tess, and they were just both so screwed up by social mores. argh, those social conventions getting in the way of love!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could ever reread Jude the Obscure, not now that I am a mother.

But Hardy is wonderful.

they were just both so screwed up by social mores

Whenever I want to put his reaction in context, I just think of Trollope's "Can you forgive her" where it's a huge scandal when a married woman merely dances in public with the man she almost married but didn't. Victorian mores were insane. I can't possibly blame Angel for being a man of his time - he does overcome them (many a Victorian would have never repented and come back) but his begging for forgiveness is, because it's Hardy, too late. (Argh! I totally bawled during the 'too late' scene - only in Hardy, I swear).

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

aaaaaaagh, Trollope. another pot of messed up people but without the emotional pull of Hardy.

I can't possibly blame Angel for being a man of his time - he does overcome them

which is where he comes in as Big Damn Tragic Hero, because he chooses love over social convention, as does Tess as she tries in vain to make it not too late. love so strong and amazing it drives them to these crazy lengths. yep, there we go for the addiction part of it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I like Trollope a lot (Barchester Towers is one of the funniest things out there and I was almost sick being so anxious for Eleanor and Mr. Arabin to resolve things) but yes, he doesn't have the sheer emotional pull or lyricism of Hardy. But then, who does?

he chooses love over social convention, as does Tess

And of course this being Hardy they are punished for it and would have been punished if they didn't go for it, either.

The thing that drives me crazy (in a good way) is that their mistakes or flaws aren't too horrible - it's not some morality story or even a greek tragedy of a great flaw. Tess grew up one step from starvation, was raped, moved on, wanted to be honest with her husband, and then gave up hoping for him when he didn't come back right away and gave in and became Alec's mistress to survive and better her family. Angel was too morally absolutist and unworldly and did a Victorian-approved but wrong action, repented of it and came back as soon as he could - bad timing plays the part of course too - if he didn't get sick and stuck in the hospital for so long he'd be back sooner and maybe before Tess went over to Alec. Hardy's characters have no luck at all.

I do wonder about Tess killing Alec. I think she was just so buffeted and broken by then, she was not capable of rational thought. Because that's what so dooms it all. If she just left Alec, Angel would have taken her back even after being a kept woman (though how well it would have worked out is anybody's guess, what with rigid Victorian rules - Alec wouldn't have let them get away this easy and his parents would have found out about her being a mistress). But I think by then she just snapped.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I haven't read this in several years and am not sure how I'd react if I first read it now, but I remember that it's basically what saved me from shunning classics forever when I was about 15 and checking out what the school library had, and I read several that I hated in a row. I don't know that I liked Tess then, but I remember that, then, it was extremely significant to me that her reaction to people judging her for being raped and having sex was along the lines of "screw you." I don't think I ever noticed Angel a lot outside of "the guy she married," but I could (an d still can) understand why the author would have Tess with him than I could others.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

To me, Tess is all about, well, Tess. I see the characters and the world of the book solely through her prism - I like Angel because he is what she wants, basically. If she wanted to move to Tibet and become a female monk, I would have been for it, too.

Hardy always wrote amazing protagonists.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I actually haven't read any other Hardy, as most of my voluntarily reading classics stopped when they started being required reading, and mostly things I didn't care for. Much of my early exposure to classics was skewed by "superconservative catholic-school-masquerading-as-public-school" in high school and then my university's rather limited focus on more "name brand"-I MIGHT be less vehement about the ending of Jane Eyre if I hadn't had it through "only this interpretation allowed" I think 4 times through high school and college. But basically, that started shortly after Tess.

(In general, I think attitudes towards classics are created by how they're introduced. You have the more free-for-all approach, and then the "classic means literary genius no argument or alternate interpretations" one, it seems.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have that knee-jerk reaction to a number of Russian classics I had to read in Soviet school (but not all - some I love). I read classics way before they were supposed to be covered in school and discovered that this is the type of novel I prefer best - narrative structure, characters, language. The fact that school seemed to think it was valuable later on was a bonus but I never associated it with that.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The only reason I wasn't completely turned off of them was because I started reading them on my own before that. I unintentionally spoiled Beowulf for my entire class once, and a few Shakespeares. But that was when I realized no one else was reading them on their own.

[myrna-nora.livejournal.com]

I love Angel Clare too! I saw '98 Tess and read the book in junior high school. I cried so much over that story. I taped VHS from the TV, and sometimes I would watch just the part where she goes to the dairy farm until she accepts Angel's proposal. In my alternate universe imaginary (denial) version of the story that is the only part that happened.
I remember in jr high school overhearing the girls in gym class discussing Angel and I wanted to join in their conversation. Then I realized they were talking about one of those Angel or Buffy shows -which I didn't watch. That was a "I'm growing up in the wrong era" moment. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I had VHS of this too! I bought them! I still have them somewhere, packed away with my VCR :)

I am OK with the alternate version where he comes back, she goes away without killing Alec who dies of apoplexy or similar and Angel and Tess get a farm and raise cows and live a nice long life. *sigh*

I realized they were talking about one of those Angel or Buffy shows -which I didn't watch.

LOLOL *sympathizes*

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

Tess and Jane Eyre? I see though we have practically the same taste in our Asian drama viewing we differ immensely on literature.

Oh well, had to happen. It's good for the writers that someone enjoys their work.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The writers are dead so they probably don't care either way :)

Which 19th century novels do you like? *curious*

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

Their spirits know what's going down.

List:
Little Women
Brothers Karamazov
Hunchback
Pride and Prejudice ...

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

this was such a beautifully shot and acted drama. ultimately too dark for me but still enjoyable. have you seen the BBC's Tenant of Wildfell Hall? It's much the same - so well filmed and acted and deliciously dark with a lovely ending. Starts out slow with very odd music but then gets superb rather rapidly. it's instant watching on Netflix if you have that.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

also, Toby Stephens of the new Jane Eyre! mmmmmm.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I always sort of hated Hardy. I think it's the fact that his books are good in theory, but in application they are MISERABLE to read. Jude the Obscure might be the most depressing thing I've ever been forced to read. It makes you wonder about Hardy himself. I mean who even THINKS of that? It always seemed like he made his characters miserable just for the heck of it. Maybe I just shouldn't have been introduced to him with Jude.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Jude is very very depressing. I guess I grew up on Russian novels so it was a step up in cheeriness :)

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

I've followed Justine Waddell ever since. She's just incredible looking. I've seen many a movie (or contemplated seeing) just because of her.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

What else has she been in?

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

lol, nothing big. I actually saw Dracula 2000 because of her.

She was in The Fall which was recent, and exquisite in that. Small part, though, and she wasn't a good character. I almost watched Thr3e but I have severe problems with Marc Blucas (Riley from Buffy) and never managed to get to her first scene.

I'd recommend The Fall to you, although I didn't like it much. You might like it, my buddy swankyfunk adored the movie, but I was a little bored. Beautiful cinematography though.

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

Um, whoa!

Apparently she was in a British miniseries based on an Elizabeth Gaskell book. I haven't seen North and South but know alexandral totally loved it. I'm a little anal about reading period books/classics before seeing the movies/series and didn't finish reading N&S so I never watched it.

Period piece.. miniseries.. sounds like your thing..

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I've seen Wives and Daughters ages ago. It was good :)