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Tess Context - Coggle Diagram
Hardy
When he was 18 Hardy witnessed the public hanging of Elizabeth Martha Brown - working class woman who murdered her violent husband in 1856
Religion
States himself to be a Christian who became an agnostic. Often seems tor geret loss of his earlier faith in earlier powers
Came into contact with many philosophical ideas, especially when he wnt to London. Some were from reading of literature - Romantic Poets, other sfroms cience and Philosophy.
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Poem The Dynasts about the Napolenonic wars he makes frequent philosophical comments, mentioning ideas of Fate and Destiny.
National mood of optimism against hardys pessimism due to growth of British Empire, history of industrial pre-eminence and belief in evolution and science.
Society
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Mechanisation of Farming
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The Poor Law Amendment Act (1834) - relief of the poor through workhouses - Tolpuddle near Hardy's home.
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Darwinism
The Origin of Species in 1859 - challenged widely accepted ideas about creation and mans place in universe
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Brazil
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Immigration intesified - 71,000 Europeans emigrated to Brazil each year between 1877-1903
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Social divisions of rural society - lifeholders - had security as long as they lived. Makes use of Law in Woodlanders to see how fortuned can be reversed
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Alec family upwardly mobile - economic boom of victorian industrialisation - meant there was lots of new money.
Marriage
intermarriage betweeen classes was possible but not easy or socially acceptable - Tess aware of this Angel not. Hardy experience similar problems - married above his class to Emma and neither of their families accepted the other. Hardy had a connection to both classes
Female Prospects
Teaching - could improve social and economic position. Thoughts of tess becoming a teacher and cannot become a reality due to familiar pressures
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Religion
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Language of Church
Most victorian authors strongly influenced by the King james bible and Book of Common prayer. Hardy used bible for source of references and allusions
Dissatisfaction
Great dissatisfaction iwth established Anglican Church and new religious movements began. Predominently in lower class.
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Clergy
Resonsible for funding of village school, always univeristy educated and sometimes considered removed from everday lives of their parishioners
Evangelical group - Angel's Father. Hardy admires his sincerity and courage. He is thought to be modelled on Rev.Henry Moule of Fordingham. His sons went to Cambridge and Hardy was influenced by one of them Horace as a young man in Dorchester.
Angels two brothers are examples of High churhcmen - little sympathy from Hardy as they have lost touch with personal relationships and human values.
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Growth of Doubt
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Geological discoveries (made by Christian ministers) indiciated world was much older than Bible suggests
New liberal theological ideas from Germany which challenged traditional beliefs about the Bible and Christ - both in humanist terms rather than supernatural
Growth of Philosphical ideas - viewed the world as being controlled by impersonal forces or no force at all.
Wessexs
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first popularity of hardy's novels came fromhim being a rural novelist - wanted to prove the humanity and idividuality of the country people and his love of the country against the city. Use of contrast, unease of the traditional and modern.
marked by two valleys - Blackmoor vale and Frome valley - actually names of places symbolic value of texts
Use of dialetc - the nuance of tess in her psycological reasonsings is above her level of intelligence even though Hardy attempts to rattify this.
Journeys
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Hardy's short story which represents working class train journey (excursions of 1851 the great exhibition) as horrible journeys for the relatively poor limit aspirations and possibilities.
Poor cannot travel due to economic injustice - movement which is hard - do not gain further experience (stuck physically and emotionally in journeys) ESTHER WATERS - beginning chapter. Continuation of this theme common in late Victorian literature. Again a further critique of society.