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Angel Clare...

30 replies

AphraBehn · 15/09/2013 10:44

I know it's been discussed on here a few times but I've only just got around to reading Tess of The D'Ubervilles.

What a shit he is! I am really indignant about it. Haven't been this engrossed by a book for ages though.

OP posts:
WednesdayNext · 15/09/2013 12:19

I never said that he was meant to be forgiven, only that he was typical of the time.

Hardy's point is that we're meant to see Tess as a victim of the times and the double standards.

His original title for the book was "A Pure Woman" and readers were invited to accept that this is what Tess was.

Greythorne · 15/09/2013 12:15

Wednesdaynext

But isn't that Hardy's point? He seesk to expose the hypocrisy and double standards. Angel Clare is not meant to be read as a man of his times and forgiven. He is meant to be read as a man of his hypocritical times who has horrible double standards.

KurriKurri · 15/09/2013 12:03

Yes he is a shit, and I think Hardy thought he was a shit too, the book is argument against the double standards of the day. He rejects her because of her past, and because she is not a virgin, for someone who considers himself an educated man, his thinking is at best woolly at worst cruel, in my eyes he is worse than Alec because at least Alec knows he is a bad guy, Angel thinks he is good.

He comes close to being my most loathed character in literature Grin

Have you read any other Hardy AphraBehn? If not I envy you reading him for the first time - and you have so many brilliant ones to come!

MardyBra · 15/09/2013 11:59

Yep. Sanctimonious little prick. Although very hot when Eddie Redmayne played him in the BBC adaptation.

WednesdayNext · 15/09/2013 11:42

Well, he is and he isn't..

By today's standards he's a total shit, but for the time it was written, he was just typical of the time.

And a lot of Tess's suffering is self inflicted as a way to punish herself for her perceived wrongdoing. Angel would have financially supported her but she didn't accept it.

It such a gripping story though