TESS KEY QUOTES:
‘Fields are never brown and the springs never dry.’- first description of Marlott in
phase one.
‘Mobile peony mouth… a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience.’ –
physical description of Tess’s appearance.
‘An unscribbed, uncabinated aspect in his eyes and attire.’- first description of Angel,
which shows that he is pure and self-controlled, unlike other men.
Mrs Durbeyfield still habitually spoke the dialect. Personal charms which Tess could
boast... a gap of 200 years.’- Phase the first, Mrs Durbeyfield’s dialect and personal
charms.
‘Don’t you really know, Durbeyfield, that you are the lineal representative of the
ancient and knightly family of the D’Urbervilles?’ Phase the first.
‘But I don’t want anybody to kiss me, sir… a big tear beginning to roll down her face,
and the corners of her mouth trembling in her attempts not to cry.’ Phase the first.
‘I was born bad, and I have lived bad, and I shall die bad in all probability. But upon
my lost soul, I won’t be bad towards you again, Tess.’ -Phase the second.
‘Why didn’t you tell me there was danger in menfolk? Why didn’t you warn me?’
Phase the second.
‘Suppose your sin was not of your own seeking?’- Phase the second
‘The baby’s offence against society in coming into the world was forgotten by the
girl-mother; her soul’s desire was to continue that offence by preserving the life of the
child.’- Phase the second.
‘Was once lost, always lost, really true chastity? She would ask herself.’- Phase the
second.
‘All the while they were converging, under an irresistible law, as surely as two
streams one vale.’- Phase the third.
‘It is that this sound of a non-existent coach can only be heard by one of d'Urberville
blood, and it is held to be of ill omen to the one who hears it. It has to do with a
murder, committed by one of the family, centuries ago.’ Phase the fourth.
‘You were more sinned against than sinning, that I admit.’- Phase the fifth.
‘How can we live together while that man lives? —he being your husband in nature,
and not I. If he were dead, it might be different.’ Phase the fifth
‘O, will you go away–for the sake of me and my husband – go, in the name of your
own Christianity!’ – Phase the sixth
‘The oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blot in the midst, has the appearance of a
gigantic ace of hearts.’- Phase the sixth
‘Never in her life – she could swear it from the bottom of her soul – had she ever
intended to do wrong; yet these hard judgments had come.’ Phase the seventh.
‘I do love you, Tess- O, I do – it is all come back!’ Phase the seventh.
1
ELEANOR BARNES-COOK
, PHASE SUMMARIES:
Phase the first:
Tess’s father finds out about their family ancestry. In celebration, he gets drunk, even though
there are ‘several families among the cottagers… of almost equal lustre,’ that he cannot drive
to the market. Tess takes the family horse (Prince) and travels to the market. The horse,
unfortunately, is involved in a terrible accident, whereby it passes away. Tess feels extremely
remorseful and, under encouragement from her parents, seeks help from Mrs D’Urberville. It
turns out that they are not related to Tess, and the D’Urbervilles have claimed this name. Tess
meets Alec, who arranges for her to be employed by Mrs D’Urberville. While Tess is working
there, Alec attempts to pursue her multiple times, but in the end achieves her in extremely
illegitimate ways.
Phase the second:
Tess falls pregnant and must return home from Trantridge. Tess hides in her family home,
consumed by guilt. Once Sorrow (her child) is born, she goes back to work and finds that she
is generally accepted by the community. However, Sorrow later passes away. Tess attempts to
keep her dignity by having him buried, but the most she can do is bury him in an unmarked
grave. Tess remains in her village for a bit of time, but later realises that it would be better to
stay somewhere new.
Phase the third:
In the third phase, Tess leaves home again for a job on a dairy farm far away from everyone
she knows (Talbothays). While working there, she meets Angel. He is working at the dairy to
learn something about farming. He would’ve gone to university like his brothers, but he
decided not to go as he rejected his family’s rigid form of Christianity.
Phase the fourth:
Tess and Angel begin to fall in love; this is hard for Tess as she cannot bring herself to tell
Angel about her past (Alec and Sorrow). As the tension builds, Tess and Angel move closer to
marriage. Tess tries to explain her past through a letter, but Angel never receives it. The phase
ends with their wedding night, as Angel confesses the misdemeanours of his youth.
Phase the fifth:
Tess finally confesses all to Angel. Angel shuns here, as he is unable to see the parallels
between his past and Tess’. Angel feels as if he is in love with someone who is no longer the
Tess he knows, as he explains, ‘You were one person; now you are another.’ Tess returns
home, and Angel moves to Brazil, leaving her some money to take care of herself. Tess uses
this to help her parents repair their house, but they believe she has a newfound wealth. This
leaves her with very little left to live on. She returns to work at Flincomb-Asch. Friends she
made at the dairy farm are also working there, and they advise her to seek help from Angel’s
2
ELEANOR BARNES-COOK
‘Fields are never brown and the springs never dry.’- first description of Marlott in
phase one.
‘Mobile peony mouth… a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience.’ –
physical description of Tess’s appearance.
‘An unscribbed, uncabinated aspect in his eyes and attire.’- first description of Angel,
which shows that he is pure and self-controlled, unlike other men.
Mrs Durbeyfield still habitually spoke the dialect. Personal charms which Tess could
boast... a gap of 200 years.’- Phase the first, Mrs Durbeyfield’s dialect and personal
charms.
‘Don’t you really know, Durbeyfield, that you are the lineal representative of the
ancient and knightly family of the D’Urbervilles?’ Phase the first.
‘But I don’t want anybody to kiss me, sir… a big tear beginning to roll down her face,
and the corners of her mouth trembling in her attempts not to cry.’ Phase the first.
‘I was born bad, and I have lived bad, and I shall die bad in all probability. But upon
my lost soul, I won’t be bad towards you again, Tess.’ -Phase the second.
‘Why didn’t you tell me there was danger in menfolk? Why didn’t you warn me?’
Phase the second.
‘Suppose your sin was not of your own seeking?’- Phase the second
‘The baby’s offence against society in coming into the world was forgotten by the
girl-mother; her soul’s desire was to continue that offence by preserving the life of the
child.’- Phase the second.
‘Was once lost, always lost, really true chastity? She would ask herself.’- Phase the
second.
‘All the while they were converging, under an irresistible law, as surely as two
streams one vale.’- Phase the third.
‘It is that this sound of a non-existent coach can only be heard by one of d'Urberville
blood, and it is held to be of ill omen to the one who hears it. It has to do with a
murder, committed by one of the family, centuries ago.’ Phase the fourth.
‘You were more sinned against than sinning, that I admit.’- Phase the fifth.
‘How can we live together while that man lives? —he being your husband in nature,
and not I. If he were dead, it might be different.’ Phase the fifth
‘O, will you go away–for the sake of me and my husband – go, in the name of your
own Christianity!’ – Phase the sixth
‘The oblong white ceiling, with this scarlet blot in the midst, has the appearance of a
gigantic ace of hearts.’- Phase the sixth
‘Never in her life – she could swear it from the bottom of her soul – had she ever
intended to do wrong; yet these hard judgments had come.’ Phase the seventh.
‘I do love you, Tess- O, I do – it is all come back!’ Phase the seventh.
1
ELEANOR BARNES-COOK
, PHASE SUMMARIES:
Phase the first:
Tess’s father finds out about their family ancestry. In celebration, he gets drunk, even though
there are ‘several families among the cottagers… of almost equal lustre,’ that he cannot drive
to the market. Tess takes the family horse (Prince) and travels to the market. The horse,
unfortunately, is involved in a terrible accident, whereby it passes away. Tess feels extremely
remorseful and, under encouragement from her parents, seeks help from Mrs D’Urberville. It
turns out that they are not related to Tess, and the D’Urbervilles have claimed this name. Tess
meets Alec, who arranges for her to be employed by Mrs D’Urberville. While Tess is working
there, Alec attempts to pursue her multiple times, but in the end achieves her in extremely
illegitimate ways.
Phase the second:
Tess falls pregnant and must return home from Trantridge. Tess hides in her family home,
consumed by guilt. Once Sorrow (her child) is born, she goes back to work and finds that she
is generally accepted by the community. However, Sorrow later passes away. Tess attempts to
keep her dignity by having him buried, but the most she can do is bury him in an unmarked
grave. Tess remains in her village for a bit of time, but later realises that it would be better to
stay somewhere new.
Phase the third:
In the third phase, Tess leaves home again for a job on a dairy farm far away from everyone
she knows (Talbothays). While working there, she meets Angel. He is working at the dairy to
learn something about farming. He would’ve gone to university like his brothers, but he
decided not to go as he rejected his family’s rigid form of Christianity.
Phase the fourth:
Tess and Angel begin to fall in love; this is hard for Tess as she cannot bring herself to tell
Angel about her past (Alec and Sorrow). As the tension builds, Tess and Angel move closer to
marriage. Tess tries to explain her past through a letter, but Angel never receives it. The phase
ends with their wedding night, as Angel confesses the misdemeanours of his youth.
Phase the fifth:
Tess finally confesses all to Angel. Angel shuns here, as he is unable to see the parallels
between his past and Tess’. Angel feels as if he is in love with someone who is no longer the
Tess he knows, as he explains, ‘You were one person; now you are another.’ Tess returns
home, and Angel moves to Brazil, leaving her some money to take care of herself. Tess uses
this to help her parents repair their house, but they believe she has a newfound wealth. This
leaves her with very little left to live on. She returns to work at Flincomb-Asch. Friends she
made at the dairy farm are also working there, and they advise her to seek help from Angel’s
2
ELEANOR BARNES-COOK
