The Tragic Vision and Narrative Art of Thomas Hardy: A Study of Enduring Thoughts and Unyielding Wisdom in Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Abstract

This paper explores Thomas Hardy’s tragic vision and narrative art with particular reference to Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Hardy’s depiction of fate, character, and social forces reveals a deterministic worldview shaped by evolutionary theory, Romantic idealism, and Victorian moral conventions. Drawing upon philosophical pessimism and rural realism, Hardy creates a narrative where characters are often caught in the vice of immanent will, social hypocrisy, and moral rigidity. Consequently, this study evaluates Hardy’s literary style, character construction, symbolism, and use of nature and folklore to convey a tragic sense of life. Furthermore, the paper discusses Hardy’s treatment of femininity, morality, and sexual ethics, situating Tess within the broader context of nineteenth-century literary and cultural debates. Through close textual analysis, this research also reveals Hardy’s contribution to the novel as an art form, presenting Tess not only as a tragic heroine but also as a symbolic representation of rural disintegration, feminine strength, and metaphysical injustice.