Thomas Hardy
Regarded as a towering figure in nineteenth-century British literature, Thomas Hardy ranks among the most acclaimed of the Victorian realists. Though he achieved more popular success for works such as Far From the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, most critics now see The Mayor of Casterbridge as Harding's crowning accomplishment. This novel traces the ascension of Michael Henchard from a hardscrabble manual laborer
...Thomas Hardy's novel of seduction and abandonment introduced his most memorable tragic heroine, the unworldly maiden Tess. On her morning journey to earn money for her impoverished family, Tess' horse has an accident, forcing her to seek assistance from some newly rich relatives. There, she is vigorously pursued by Alec, who corners her in a field one night and takes advantage of her. After bearing a child who quickly dies, Tess meets and falls
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