德伯家的苔丝主题分析.doc

An analysis of the themes in Tess of the D’Urbervilles 对小说《德伯家的苔丝》中主题的分析 外国语学院英语071班 何璇 200710074127 Abstract: Just as “There are one thousand Hamlet in one thousand readers’ hearts”, there are many different kinds of interpretations of the themes in Tess of the D’Urbervilles, the most famous novel of Thomas Hardy. This paper is going to analyze the themes from three different angles and help the readers have a better understanding of both the author and the unique work. Key words：theme、Tess of the D’Urbervilles 1 Introduction Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in a small town in Dorset in southwestern England. As a boy, he memorized all the services, and this knowledge lays a good foundation of the frequent references on religion in his works. Although at the age of sixteen, his formal studies stopped, he continued to educate himself. During his spare time, he studied widely: language, literature, history, philosophy and art. At the age of 22, he went to London where he wrote the first of his poems to make a living. In 1867 he returned to Dorset and then he began to write novels and stories. All Hardy’s novels were written during the next 28 years. In 1928, Hardy died in Dorset and was buried in Westminster Abbey Tess of the D’Urbervilles, usually shorted as Tess, is the most famous novel of Thomas Hardy. Focusing on the tragic experience of its heroine Tess, the plot of story develops closely with the Angel-Tess-Alec triangle. 2 Analysis of the theme in Tess of the D’Urbervilles 2.1 Theme1: The Injustice of Existence Unfairness dominates the lives of Tess and her family to such an extent that it begins to seem like a general aspect of human existence in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Tess does not mean to kill Alec, but she is punished anyway, just as she is unfairly punished for her own rape by Alec. “Christianity teaches that there is compensation in the afterlife for unhappiness suffered in this life, but the only devout Christian encountere