Abstract

Thomas Hardy is an outstanding English writer who possesses a very important position in the history of English literature. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, as one of his most famous works, subtitled “a pure woman”, portrays a tragic figure--Tess, whose destiny represents those of numerous English living in the lower society at that time, challenging the hypocritical social morality in the Victorian era.

Hardy is good at using the description of environment to affect readers, whose novels are “A scenery adds a people’s soul” that blend the setting and the feeling of characters very well. This thesis aims to illustrate the ecofeminism shown in Tess of the D’Urbervilles through analyzing representative images in the novel, such as images of nature, images of animals and images of scenes. From the aspect of the original relationship between woman and nature, Ecofeminists criticize the value of hierarchy and system of patriarchal control, hoping to appeal people to create a harmonious society with the nature. From the perspective of the ecofeminism, this thesis tries to reveal the close relationship between women and nature through images in this novel, thus to highlight the author’s views on women and nature.

Key words: Thomas Hardy; Tess of the D’Urbervilles; ecofeminism; images

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1.-Introduction-1

1.1.-Brief Introduction of Tess of the D’Urbervilles-1

1.2.-Reviewing the Researches both at Home and Abroad-2

1.3.-Introduction to Ecofeminism-3

2.-Tess, the Daughter of Nature-5

2.1.-Tess’s Suffering Reflected through Fog-5

2.2.-Tess’s Hope Reflected through Stars and Sun-5

2.3.-Tess’s Beauty Reflected through Flowers-7

3.-Tess’s Variable Fate Reflected through Natural Scenery-8

3.1.-Living Environment-8

3.2.-Transition of Seasons-9

4.-Tess, Victim of Patriarchal Society-10

4.1.-Birds, Symbol of Hope and Freedom-10

4.2.-Tess, Similar to Rabbits, Having no Resistance-11

4.3.-Cows and Cocks, Symbols of Tess’s Tragic Fate-11

5.-Conclusion-13

6.-References-14