TessoftheD’UrbervillesViewedFromtheEcologicalPerspective

姚楠

【Abstract】Published in 1891，Tess of the DUrbervilles was regarded as one of the greatest and the most charming novel of Thomas Hardys works around the world.Eco-criticism is a newly aroused critical method.It appeared due to the present global ecological crisis.This thesis attempts to analyze the novel from the eco-critical perspective to arouse peoples consciousness to protect our increasingly serious environment.

【Key words】Tess of the DUrbervilles； Thomas Hardy； Eco-criticism

1.Introduction of Thomas Hardy and Tess of the DUrbervilles

1.1 Thomas Hardy was a great critical and naturalistic novelist.His works were known as “novels of character and environment”，revealing a pessimistic sense of mans being impotent before fate.In his hands，nature as well as heroes and heroines were all vividly depicted.Among his works，Tess of the DUrbervilles could be regarded as the summit.It was published in 1891 and belonged to “novel of character and environment” as well.It told a tragic love or life story of a beautiful and innocent peasant girl Tess.Due to many descriptions of nature in the novel，thus Tess was regarded as “daughter of the nature”.

1.2 Introduction of Eco-criticism

Eco-criticism is a newly aroused critical method.It appeared due to the present global ecological crisis.There were many definitions of eco-criticism.But the most accepted definition is Glotfeltys “the story of relationship between literature and the physical environment” （Glotfelty，2003）.It tries to explore the relationship between human and nature，nature and culture，environmental crisis and culture.

2.Tess-daughter of the nature

2.1 symbol of the nature

The first time when Tess went to the dairy，all the milkers were amazed by Tesss pure personality.And the reason why Clare fell in love with Tess was that he considered Tess as daughter of the nature.Tess was closely connected with the nature and lived harmoniously in the nature.Tess was born in the beautiful Vale of Blackmoor.It was a quiet，sheltered part of the countryside，where the fields were always green and the rivers never dried up.Living in such an environment，Tess kept pure and innocent.After she was seduced by Alec，she felt rejected by the public but only accepted by the nature.She spent almost all her time in her bedroom，watching the wind，the snow，the rain，beautiful sunsets and full moons.When it rained，she thought the nature was crying for her unluckiness，and when the wind blew，she thought the nature was angry with her.It seemed she tried to seek comfort from the nature because it was the only thing that understands all her joys and sorrows.

As daughter of the nature，Tesss situation and mood changed with four seasons.Spring is a season when flowers blossom，full of hope and vitality.It was in spring that Tess left home and got to a dairy where she met Clare and spent the most happiest time in her life.As summer came，their love became increasingly strong.Leaves always fell in autumn.So did Tesss life.She lost her innocence in autumn，her child died in autumn.Her own death was also in autumn.Tess got married in winter.At that night，she told all her story to Clare and then met her own winter-Clare left her alone.Thus，we could see Tesss life and destiny changed with the turning of the four seasons.

2.2 Incompatible with civilization

Tesss tragedy was caused by several elements.One of them was her own personality.She was pure and incompatible with civilization.Tess hated Alec，who seduced her，from the bottom of her heart.She didnt want to be forced to marry him for her own reputation.She violated the social rules and severely punished by the community.It seemed that her life was getting better after she met Clare.Before they got married，Tesss mother asked her not to tell everything to Clare.But out of her pure nature and her loyalty to her love，she made a confession to her husband and thus was abandoned.Tess belonged to the nature while Clare and Alec belonged to civilization.If we say it was Clare and Alec that cause Tesss tragedy，we may say it was civilization that totally destroyed Tess.

3.The sense of belonging

To ecologists，people love their hometown together with the land they live.But if they lose the sense of belonging，they will start wandering.We may say wandering resulted from homelessness.The process of wandering is a process of encounter between man and nature.Only if human beings establish close relationships with the nature and find their own homeland can they stop wandering.In Tess of the DUrbervilles，Tess changed the place she lived all the time.And these places were quite different from each other.Tess had never settled down because she gradually lost the sense of belonging.

3.1 From The Vale of Black-moor to Trantridge

Tess lived in Marlott in her early life.There were many trees and mountains around the valley which suggested Tess was protected well and closely linked with the nature.There，the trees and the grass were always green.Its a symbol of natural abundance.People who lived there were ecological residents.Thus，Tess could be as pure as the nature.But when Tess was sent to their relatives to help their family get rid of the predicament，everything changed dramatically.Tess left home and came to Trantridge，a very strange place.There，the first thing that went into Tesss view was Mrs DUrbervilless big red mansion.The bright color contrasted strongly with green which represented the nature.This kind of contrast marked that peoples lives there were separated from the nature.Everything looked like money.“The place had also a more abiding defect，it drank hard”.（Thomas Hardy，2008： 82）.Tess couldnt find the sense of belonging in Trantridge.It was also in Trantridge Tess lost her purity.

3.2 From Talbothays to Flintcombe-Ash

In order to change a place to forget sad memories，Tess left home again and found a job in a dairy settled in Talbothays.It was another very beautiful place.Gradually，Tess became increasingly optimistic.Getting along well with animals here，Tess was again filled with hope and vitality.She lived harmoniously with people and the environment and quickly fell in love with Clare.To Clare，there was nothing purer than Tess.To some extent，they found their peace of mind in their communication with the nature.With the development of the railway system，they could send their milk to London.Tess was confused about this.To Tess，those people didnt know where the milk came from.But transportation technology made it possible that they could drink the milk.It suited to todays society.With the endless development of technology，human beings become alienated from the nature.We could easily get variety of consumer goods in the supermarket or somewhere else.But like the London people in this novel，we know nothing about where these consumer goods come from.

3.3 From Flintcombe-Ash to Sandbourne

Flintcombe-Ash was a very poor farm and the owner was more like a slave owner.Tesss working there was hard and tedium.Later，the owner brought in a new technology –a kind of threshing machine which Hardy called “a red tyrant”.The arrival of the threshing machine made these women have to work harder and longer.People had to leave their natural agricultural field for its operation.Thus，it symbolized civilization.Here，the machine kept working all the time and Tess couldnt find a moment to have a rest.For Tess，the only happiness was to recall her previous life in Talbothays although these happy memories were momentary.

After Tesss father died，Tesss family was forced into trouble.No matter how reluctantly Tess was，she had to go back into Alecs hug.They then lived in Sandbourne full of wealth and fashion.Sandbourne was quite different from other places where Tess had lived in her early years.It was a small town of fashion，and the railway was connected with the outside world everywhere containing human civilization but not the nature.Life here cut off Tesss connection with the nature so that she was out of her life trajectory.This kind of alienation at last made Tess kill Alec，who was the origin of her tragedy.

4.Conclusion

Although there was no eco-criticism in Hardys times，his works were embodied with some ecological thinking.In Tess of the DUrbervilles，Tess was so closely connected with the nature that she was considered as daughter of the nature.Even her destiny changed with the turning of the four seasons.She got along well with everything with the nature and she always broke the accepted social law，that is to say，she violated civilization.It was the conflict between natural human feelings and social conventions which，in the end，destroyed her.In Tess of the DUrbervilles，Tess didnt have the sense of belonging all the time so that she changed the places from the beginning to the end.She was born in a well-protected place called Marlott but lost her purity in Trantridge.Then she moved to Talbothays and there she found her true love.As everything went well，Tess was rejected by Clare for her confession.She had to leave the beautiful place again and went to Flintcombe-Ash and then Sandbourne.Tesss tragic fate was largely due to such endless wandering.In all，in todays society，Thomas Hardys Tess of the DUrbervilles needs to be read by all of us again from ecological perspective to arouse peoples consciousness to protect the world.

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