unfair

[Chrissy]

You must remember that back then, a woman's purity was just about all she was good for to the male minds. Maybe it has something to do with male jealousy and possessiveness. But, I have a question. You said this in your review: "of course it is ridiculous to blame a woman for rape (to a certain extent)". Are you saying that there are circumstances where a woman can indeed be blamed for such a crime? I think not.

[madeleine]

Well Joseph, it seems pretty clear that you were not particularly interested in what Thomas Hardy had to say, and would only have appreciated his work if he were in lock-step with your own limited world view. For your crime, I would sentence you to do nothing for the next twenty years but read Hardy, and study the times and places from which his novels arose. In the process, you would undoubtedly learn to spell and express yourself more effectively and, as a bonus, your mind would likely be forced open to let the light of knowledge and understanding shine in. You do get credit for attempting the book at all, though.

[Unregistered]

Yes, Hardy may have toyed with the idea that our Christianity is not all it is cracked up to be. Sure when you look at the unforgiven nature of those that were supposed to be Christian you are appalled. But I would like to think that it is a mere exposure of a Christianity that was not Christianity at all. It is similar to Jesus' exposure of the Pharisees. Exposure does not mean being against Christianity. Hardy's novel challenges us to sit back and take a long hard look at our faith and I see nothing wrong with that.

[Unregistered]

"To a certain extent"? To which extent? Did Tess "deserve what she got" (a little anyway) because she got on that horse with Alec? Maybe it was what she was wearing...were the toes of her shoes showing a bit too seductively beneath the hem of her dress? As for the statement good work of literature is tainted by Hardy's agenda that this novel was a "good work of literature... tainted by Hardy's agenda." What sort of bizarre, uneducated, really rock-brained statement is that? Hardy tainted his own novel? You do realize Thomas Hardy actually wrote Tess of the D'Urbervilles all by himself. As for bringing poor Jesus into this, can't you people leave poor Jesus alone? Do you HAVE to use him to justify every brutal, unforgiving ignorant argument you come up with?

[joseph]

While I am perfectly willing to agree that this book is emotionally gripping at times and well written I must say that it is just another contributor to our humanistic society that focuses on flighty transcendental aspirings, along with denouncing God as obscelite. Of course it is rediculous to blame a girl for rape (to a certain extent) and many old fashioned Christians were merciless in their judgements. But just because we as people have not been,<br> and are not always worthy reflections of Jesus and does not make the gospel any less true or relevant today in our warped world. I think that it is a shame that such a good work of literature is tainted by Hardy's agenda to discount God with the failings of a man-made unforgiving religion.