A* essay on the presentation of happiness in Mrs Dalloway and Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Summary of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' - A Level English Literature
Tess of the D'urbervilles revision booklet AQA A Level English Lit B
All for this textbook (16)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
English Literature B
Aspects of Tragedy
All documents for this subject (228)
Seller
Follow
ramiriam
Reviews received
Content preview
2020 ‘In tragic literature when characters die,
their deaths are always met with sadness'
2020
‘In tragic literature when characters die, their deaths are always met with sadness.ʼ
To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to two texts you have studied? Remember
to include in your answer relevant comment on the ways the writers have shaped meanings. [25
marks]
Tessʼs Death – being a generational tragedy. Liza-Lu becoming the spiritualised version of
her and Angel replacing her immediately. Sadness is felt in the reader due to the
injustice which has occurred.
Willy Lomanʼs death being its own generational tragedy – Happy/Biff and Lindaʼs
responses.
In Aristotleʼs Poetics, Aristotle stated that a tragedy sets about to evoke the feelings of “pity
and fear” within audiences, however different interpretations believe the combination of pity
and fear experienced in audiences and readers to be a sense of sadness. Sadness at the
suffering of the tragic hero, the tragic heroes death, or even other characters deaths within the
tragic literature. However, different interpretation lead to different emotions therefore in ‘Death
of a Salesmanʼ and ‘Tess of DʼUrbervilleʼsʼ where the narrative fulfils circular tragic decorum it
can therefore be argued to what extent the deaths of the characters are met with just sadness.
As Tessʼs dies and the “black flag” is raised by the prison staff we cannot help but feel a sense
of injustice alongside within the “justice (which) was done”. Tessʼs death seems like the putting
out of a flame whose light we have followed throughout the entire novel experiencing her
losses, own personal tragedies, and suffering alongside her. Therefore, as she dies and it is as
though she never existed with Hardyʼs zooming out to the “landscape beyond landscape”
through his birds eye view perspective, the uncaring nature of fate and the natural world stands
in stark contrast to the reader. A pragmatic and largely neglecting stance taking over the
narrators voice suggests that her death is simply like “thousands and thousands”, echoing
Tessʼs own words from the Rally to Angel. Additionally, this sense of neglect is furthered
through Tessʼs own position in the novel which appears to have been replaced by her sister –
Liza-Lu. Liza-Lu is described as being the “spiritualised image of Tess” standing next to Angel
“hand in hand”, and through this we feel further injustice by acknowledging Angelʼs actions
further in the novel where he abandons Tess after reverting back to Puritanical codes of purity
after discovering her rape by Alec. He does not seem to deserve Tessʼs sister who is depicted
as an even more idealised version of her, reminding the reader that it was this idealisation of
Tess which led to Angel abandoning his desire to find freedom of sexuality in the pastoral and
forsaking the previous egalitarian love he had created with her. Some critics believe that the
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ramiriam. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.29. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
