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

Comments

[salimbol]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[meganbmoore]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[myrna_nora]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

[popaddict]

Their spirits know what's going down.

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