"Sensitive as Gossamer": Unstable Characterizations in Tess of the D'Urbervilles When Tess of the D'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy, was first published in 1891, it was released in serial version for The Graphic magazine and was heavily edited to provide for the Victorian sense of modesty and decency. Many important parts of the novel were omitted, moved, or simply altered, destroying some of the novel's literary and symbolic meaning. Some of these differences between the original and edited versions completely altered the storyline of the novel, making it hard for readers to identify with characters and understand the motivation behind their actions. The edits made to Hardy's original version alter vital sections of the novel, de-emphasizing themes and character development in the process. Phase The First of the serial version of the novel was released with drastic alterations that made it practically a different story. The first omission of the novel is the last two paragraphs of the 9th chapter and the entirety of the 10th and 11th chapters. At the end of the 9th chapter, Tess is whistling to Mrs. D'Urberville's finches and discovers that someone is in the room spying on her from behind the curtains. When Tess catches Alec hiding behind the curtains, she becomes even more distrustful of him, checking the curtains every day thereafter. This scene emphasizes Alec's sneaky and devious nature and makes the reader wonder if his seemingly unplanned run-in with Tess later in the novel is really as coincidental as it seems. The main reason the 10th chapter of the novel is omitted is simply because it leads into the 11th chapter, in which Tess is raped. The 10th chapter reveals a vital aspect of Tess's character: when she seems to hit rock bottom, she will allow Alec to bail her out. When the Queen of Spades attempts to fight Tess and it seems that there is no escape for her, Alec appears out of nowhere to rescue her and Tess, in desperation, accepts his help. This is important to know about Tess's character because she eventually becomes desperate enough to accept Alec's help again, when it seems to her that Angel has left her for good. Tess's habit of allowing Alec to bail her out when she becomes desperate enough is a continuous theme throughout the novel until he finally pushes her too far and she kills him. Not knowing this about Tess leaves the reader feeling less sympathetic toward her when she meets her inevitable fate. The 11th chapter takes place after Alec spirits Tess away from the Queen of Spades when the two of them are alone walking through the woods. It is the most offensive—and possibly the most important—chapter in the book. In the serial version of the novel, this entire chapter and all references to the baby Tess becomes pregnant with are omitted. Later in this edited version, Tess explains to her mother that Alec convinces her to marry him, only to reveal to her a few weeks later that the marriage was fake. These alterations significantly alter the emotional context of the novel. In Hardy's original version, Tess has no say at all in the rape that makes her pregnant; in the edited version, however, she willingly agrees to marry Alec only to find out later that she was deceived. This makes the reader feel more for Angel and less for Tess after they both make their confessions to each other and he refuses to forgive her. This edit also interferes with the theme of fate versus free will, which is a constant focus in much of Hardy's work. If Tess is raped by Alec, it could be argued that this is another incidence of fate conspiring against her. If she agrees to marry Alec and is tricked, however, this is an act of free will that could have easily been prevented had she simply made a different choice. The idea of fate controlling Tess's life appears many times in the novel but is a far less powerful motif in the serial version. The omission of all references of Tess's rape and the child born from it means that the publisher must make other changes to remain consistent. One of the changes they are forced to make is the removal of the text-painter scene immediately after Tess decides to leave the D'Urberville's estate. In this episode, Tess comes across a man who paints scripture across the countryside, and the reader learns even more about her character. She feels so guilty when she sees the man in the process of painting “Thou shalt not commit adultery” that she actually says “I don't believe God said such things,” illustrating her largest character flaw: an overabundance of pride. Tess is so full of pride throughout the novel, that she consistently stubbornly denies any help she is offered until she hits absolute rock bottom. Whether raped or tricked into a fake marriage, Tess is clearly victimized by Alec, but she still feels that the incident is her fault and that she must suffer for it. Any time Tess starts to feel a large amount of guilt, her pride takes over, causing her to make sacrifices that she knows go against her best interests. When Angel leaves Tess to go to Brazil, she knows that she can still live an easy life using his family's resources, but instead she chooses to go back to performing physical labor until she finally makes the even greater sacrifice of accepting Alec's help once again. The text-painter episode is the first scene in the novel to effectively illustrate Tess's stubborn pride. In Phase The Third of Hardy's original version, Tess, Marian, Izz, and Retty are on their way to church when they find that the path they normally take has been flooded. Angel Clare, on his way to check if the floods had done any damage to the hay, notices the girls' predicament and decides to go out of his way to help them by carrying them one-by-one across. In the serial version, however, Angel appears with a wheelbarrow to ferry them across the water, an act which takes considerably less effort on Angel's part. He first carries Marian, then Izz, then Retty, before finally coming to Tess, showing that he is also willing to make sacrifices to achieve his goals. Hardy writes “Angel Clare, to whom three-quarters of this performance was a commonplace act of kindness,” (113) meaning that while Angel's main goal was simply to shepherd Tess across, he was willing to carry the other three across also for his chance at close contact with her. He even makes a point of letting Tess know that all of his effort is for her by saying "Three Leahs to get one Rachel," (113) which is ironic because after all of their hard work throughout the novel, Angel, like the biblical Jacob he alludes to, ends up with Tess's sister. Editing this scene to have Angel carry the girls across in wheelbarrow emphasizes his kind and chivalrous nature but does not emphasize his willingness to work hard and make sacrifices for Tess. The addition of Tess's reference to Thomas Huxley's Essays upon Some Controverted Questions in Phase The Fourth was made in 1895, after Huxley's death. This reference is made when Tess is explaining to Alec some of the things Angel believed in. This is the first revision to Hardy's original version of the novel that actually helps reveal character, of both Angel and Tess. Angel, unlike the rest of his family, trusts in science, logic, and reason rather than believing in Christianity and the teachings of the Church. When Alec asks Tess how she remembers these theories she replies, “I wanted to believe what he believed, though he didn't wish me to” (253). Though she does not quite understand these ideas, Tess tries to replace her own Christian upbringing with them because she knows that they are what Angel believes in. Alec is entirely correct when he says to Tess “Whatever your dear husband believed you accept, and whatever he rejected you reject, without the least inquiry or reasoning on your own part” (252). Tess has always taken pride in the fact that she is more educated than most of the people she comes into contact with, so it would normally make sense that she places her trust in these scientific theories, but the fact that she does not fully comprehend them shows that rather than believing the logic behind the theories, she trusts them because Angel truly believes in them and she trusts him in everything. The edits made to Hardy's original version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles severely alter the novel's impact on the reader. These edits serve no purpose other than to preserve some Victorian sense of modesty. In this case, censorship of what was thought to be a small amount of indecent material has lead to the alteration of the entirety of the story. The censorship of this classic not only negates character development and the emotional impact on the reader, but also destroys many of the themes Hardy worked so hard to create. ________________ Works Cited Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'Urbervilles. 3rd ed. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1991. Print.