I am re-reading Tess, only I am reading the 1891 version, which is the first book edition. Hardy made quite a few changes to his books, quite a lot of them important. Anyway, my first impressions this time around is how well it is written. It is the best bit of Victorian writing I have read in a long while. Last time I read it, despite the good writing, I found it sick. *SPOILER* The worst part for me was not only was Tess executed, she was damned. That was the way I read it. The supernatural may or may not exist in the real world, but it does in the Wessex world. In the first chapter after Tess is raped or whatever, she meets a travelling religious graffitti artist on the road. He writes "Thy, damnation, slumbereth, not" on some bit of wood. Last time I read the book, I came to the conclusion Tess was damned long after reading this part. Not because of the extramarital sex, but because Angel Clare destroyed her simple faith. That's the way I read it.