Monthly Archives: March 2013

In Chapter IX we left off with Tess settling into life at the farm.  Her being dependent on Mrs. d’Urberville, who was dependent on Alec.  And Alec creeps around spying on Tess while trying to softener her up to him.

In Chapter X we move ahead a few month to September.  Tess has begun going out on Saturday nights with the other members of the working class.  It’s slipped in here that marriages happen young (though not at 16 years old).  So on Saturday nights Tess walks the 2 or 3 miles to the decayed market-town of Chaseborough to hang out with those who choose to drink and dance and then sleep off the night on Sundays.

On this particular night Tess is waiting for her friends to finish up before walking home, she does this every week as it’s a long walk late at night.  But on this particular night she’s waiting a bit longer then she would like and runs into Alec, not once, but twice.  She’s particularly cautious tonight because their was a fair in town, so more unfamiliar men around the area.  I read each word dreading what might happen tonight.

But Tess still is not a fan of Alec, still bitter and mistrusting from the ride from her home.  She declines his offer to take her home and continues to wait for her friends. Finally, at 11:15 the group start the walk home.

While walking we meet Car and Nancy Darch the “Queen of Spades” and “Queen of Diamonds.” Car it seems has fallen out of favor of the d’Urbervilles and has had a bit too much to drink (so has everyone else in the group). Tess is not impressed with the drinking, having learned its dangers from her parents, but continues on.  During the walk treacle (syrup) spills onto Car (it was in a basket on her head), and she tries getting it off by rubbing her back in a field.  As you might expect, everyone laughs, including Tess.

The Queen of Spades didn’t take this so well, but managed to keep a certain level of decorum, or NOT.  She got in Tess’ face and called her a “hussy.” She then started ripping off part of her own bodice, “till she had bared her plump neck, shoulders, and arms to the moonshine.” That folks, is the dangers of drinking, because today the only thing you have covering your breasts is your bra and not the 80 layers of underclothing they wore back then.

The mood quickly went downhill from the near stripping by Car, and now all the ladies were ganging up on Tess.  When the men tried to defend her it only added to the berating of Tess.   Tess is now indignant and ashamed and wants nothing more then to get the hell out of there.

And who do you guess overheard part of this?  Yes, Alec d’Urberville.  He rides in on his horse to rescue her. I’m pretty sure it’s not a white horse, not even tonight.  When he offers her a ride and without any real thought, she jumped on behind him and off they went.

Behind them they left the group laughing when Car’s mother comments, “out of the frying-pan into the fire.”

Oh Tess!

Chapter XI

Crissy

In Chapter VIII we left off with Alec manipulating kisses out of Tess and Tess effectively shutting him down.

Now settling into her new job at the poultry farm we learn that the cottage at the farm has essentially been turned into a chicken/hen coop.  And this is where Tess was to live, sounds great!  Actually, the house before being a chicken coop sounded nice.  Living with animals though, well that could be interesting.

And we do finally get to meet Mrs. d’Urberville who is blind, around 60 years old and loves her chickens. Mrs. d’Urberville proceeds to have her morning ritual of checking the cocks and hens with her hands.  We also find out that she likes to have her animals whistled tunes too.

In this first meeting between Tess and Mrs. d’Urberville there is no indication that Mrs. d’Urberville is aware of the family connection.  And we also find out that she’s not a big fan of her son, she’s “bitterly fond” of him.  Why does none of this surprise me?  Mrs. d’Urberville seems ok, she’s obviously involved in the household, but I’m guessing she’s not overly involved in her sons life.

As I was expecting, Tess and Alec do meet again, while Tess is practicing her whistling.  A couple things stick out from this brief meeting.  First, Alec mockingly calls Tess “cousin,” this is not a surprise to the reader who knows they are not cousins and we are given no indication if Tess picks up on it.  Though I think she’s already suspicious that they are not cousins.

And so she starts to settle in, I like Hardy’s description of this:

A familiarity with Alec d’Urberville’s presence-which the young man carefully cultivated in her by playful dialogue, and by jestingly calling her his cousin when they were alone-removed much of her original shyness of him without, however, implanting any feeling which could engender shyness of a new and tenderer kind. But she was more pliable under his hands then a mere companionship would have made her, owing to the her unavoidable dependence upon his mother, and, through that lady’s comparative helplessness, upon him.

And it appears Alec is creepying around spying on her.

Chapter X

Crissy