DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L318.309
Authors: Li Yingle，Zhao Xueai
Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to analyze the features of rural fiction in Thomas Hardy ’ s novel Tess of the d’ Urbervilles. Through the intensive reading and detailed textual analysis of the novel, three aspects of rural fiction theory will reveal. It can be learnt that Thomas Hardy ’ s naturalistic portrayal records historical facts and shows a strong presence of symbolic and visual elements that contribute significantly to Tess’s story. The first part will briefly introduce Thomas Hardy and his work Tess of the d ’ Urbervilles, afterward, the theoretical framework of this thesis will be illustrated. The main part of the thesis is the analysis of features of rural fiction in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The first and also the most significant feature is the social feature which can be analyzed in three aspects: mechanization, the emergence of railway and the vacation industry, among social features the development of industrialization in rural areas is of great significance. Next is the feature which depicts the image of rural inhabitants that displays both common and unique impressions of the Hodge peasants, and the last one is the rural environment which will emphasize the natural environment in the countryside. Through the analysis of this fiction from the perspective of rural fiction theory, the conclusion can be drawn that Tess of the d’Urbervilles a typical rural fiction. The historical background and personal experience of Thomas Hardy are embodied in the novel. Therefore, all three features include social features, rural inhabitants, and environment are also representatives of the last 19th England rural areas.
Keywords: Thomas Hardy; Tess of the d ’ Urbervilles, rural fiction, features, industrialization
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