Tess Context

Information on Tess:

• Hardy considered names like Love, Cis/Cissy and Sue before settling on Tess. 
• He worked on the manuscript with the intention of serial publication
• Then, these chapters would be delivered in book form. 
• The publlishers deemed to book to racy and requested edits
• Hardy refused.
• Graphic (London) Illustrated Weekly Newspaper offered to publish the serial. 
• So they did July 4th 1891
• 1892- The set of volumes was comined into one book and sold well
• The paperback sold 300,000 editions in one year
• Hardy worked on revisions until his death in 1928

The Novel's Context:

• The novel is a criticism of sexual and social hypocracy
• this stems from his sympathy for the lower classes, especially women. 
• controversial due to it's exploration of the ridgity of the English moral code.
• It also caused sensation due to it's honest look at the self-richeousness of the upperclasses
• Alec and Angel are representations of their class
• The novel is a look at how a persuit of a noble bloodline can be disasterous. 

Historical Context:

• Queen Victoria rules from 1837-1901
• England became the…