Key Quotations (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Key quotations
Understanding key quotations from Tess of the D'Urbervilles is essential for your A-Level exam success. This revision note organises important passages thematically, helping you identify crucial textual evidence for essays. Each quotation is explained in context, showing how Hardy develops his central themes through language.
Social class and heritage
Hardy explores the tension between Tess's noble ancestry and her current poverty throughout the novel. These quotations reveal how social class shapes identity and opportunity in Victorian society.
Tess on inheriting her mother's beauty rather than her father's nobility:
Pooh – I have as much of mother as father in me! All my prettiness comes from her, and she was only a dairymaid.
This quotation is significant because it shows Tess acknowledging that her physical attractiveness comes from her working-class mother rather than her aristocratic D'Urberville lineage. The phrase "only a dairymaid" reveals Victorian social hierarchies, whilst Tess's dismissive "Pooh" suggests she initially underestimates the importance her father places on their ancestral connections. This becomes ironic as the novel progresses and the D'Urberville name brings her misfortune rather than fortune.
The narrator on inherited beauty:
There still faintly beamed from the woman's features something of the freshness, and even the prettiness, of her youth; rendering it evident that the personal charms which Tess could boast were in main part her mother's gift, and therefore unknightly, unhistorical.
Hardy emphasises that Tess's attractiveness is inherited from her mother, making it "unknightly" and "unhistorical" - not connected to aristocratic bloodlines. This challenges Victorian assumptions about inherited nobility and suggests that true worth comes from personal qualities rather than lineage.
The word "unhistorical" is particularly important as it indicates Tess's beauty exists outside the historical narrative of aristocratic families. Hardy uses this to challenge the Victorian obsession with pedigree and lineage.
The futility of ancestry:
Pedigree, ancestral skeletons, monumental record, the D'Urberville lineaments, did not help Tess in her life's battle as yet, even to the extent of attracting to her a dancing-partner over the heads of the commonest peasantry.
This quotation demonstrates the worthlessness of noble ancestry without accompanying wealth or social position. Hardy lists various markers of aristocratic heritage - "pedigree," "ancestral skeletons," "monumental record" - but emphasises that none of these help Tess in practical terms. The phrase "life's battle" presents existence as a struggle, whilst the specific example of failing to attract a dancing partner shows how concrete social realities override abstract noble connections.
Angel's perception of Tess's distinction:
He was surprised to find this young woman – who though but a milkmaid had just that touch of rarity about her which might make her the envied of her housemates – shaping such sad imaginings.
This passage reveals Angel's attraction to what he perceives as Tess's exceptional quality despite her social position. The phrase "touch of rarity" suggests something precious and uncommon, whilst "though but a milkmaid" exposes Angel's class prejudice even as he admires her. Hardy shows how Angel romanticises Tess whilst simultaneously maintaining class distinctions - a contradiction that will contribute to their later tragedy.
Judgement, pity and social perception
These quotations explore how Tess experiences social judgement and the fear of community gossip following her experiences with Alec. Hardy critiques Victorian society's harsh treatment of women who transgress social norms.
Tess's fear of gossip:
She could not have borne their pity, and their whispered remarks to one another upon her strange situation; though she would almost have faced a knowledge of her circumstances by every individual there, so long as her story had remained isolated in the mind of each. It was the interchange of ideas about her that made her sensitiveness wince.
This complex quotation reveals that Tess could tolerate individual awareness of her past, but cannot bear people discussing her together. The phrase "interchange of ideas" suggests gossip spreading like contagion, whilst "sensitiveness wince" conveys physical pain from social judgement. Hardy shows how collective judgement is more damaging than individual knowledge, highlighting the power of community opinion in Victorian society.
Tess's slow recognition of hostility:
These were the first words of antagonism. To fling elaborate sarcasms at Tess, however, was much like flinging them at a dog or cat. The charms of their subtlety passed by her unappreciated...
Hardy presents Tess as unable to recognise subtle antagonism, comparing her to animals who cannot understand human sarcasm. This quotation is important because it shows Tess's innocence and lack of worldly sophistication, making her vulnerable to manipulation. The phrase "elaborate sarcasms" suggests complex social games that Tess cannot play, positioning her as morally pure but socially naive.
Love, sacrifice and relationships
Hardy presents Tess as capable of profound, selfless love. These quotations demonstrate the depth of her emotional capacity and willingness to sacrifice herself for others.
The narrator on Tess's capacity for love:
... nobody could love 'ee more than Tess did! ... She would have laid down her life for 'ee. I could do no more.
This declaration emphasises the absolute nature of Tess's love, using hyperbolic language - "laid down her life" - to convey complete self-sacrifice. The dialect ("'ee") makes this statement feel authentic and grounded in rural working-class culture. The final phrase "I could do no more" presents love as giving everything possible, establishing a standard against which other characters' love can be measured.
Angel on the contradiction in Tess's behaviour:
You are very good. But it strikes me that there is a want of harmony between your present mood of self-sacrifice and your past mood of self-preservation.
Angel identifies an apparent contradiction in Tess, but this reveals his failure to understand that people change and that past actions don't determine present character. The formal language - "want of harmony," "self-sacrifice," "self-preservation" - contrasts with the emotional reality of Tess's experience. This quotation is important for understanding how Angel intellectualises emotions rather than feeling them, which contributes to his inability to forgive Tess.
Tess's accusation of Angel:
O why have you treated me so monstrously, Angel! I do not deserve it. I have thought it all over carefully, and I can never, never forgive you!
The repetition of "never" emphasises Tess's emotional intensity and sense of betrayal. The word "monstrously" is particularly significant because it reverses the typical Victorian view that would label Tess as monstrous for her past. Hardy shows Tess recognising Angel's hypocrisy in expecting forgiveness for his confession whilst refusing to forgive hers. This moment of anger and clarity contrasts with Tess's usual passive acceptance.
Innocence, guilt and punishment
A central theme in the novel is Hardy's argument that Tess is "a pure woman" despite Victorian society's judgement. These quotations explore questions of intention, guilt and unjust punishment.
Tess questioning her punishment:
Never in her life – she could swear it from the bottom of her soul – had she ever intended to do wrong; yet these hard judgments had come. Whatever her sins, they were not sins of intention, but of inadvertence, and why should she have been punished so persistently?
This is Hardy's central moral argument in the novel. The phrase "from the bottom of her soul" emphasises absolute sincerity, whilst the distinction between "sins of intention" and "sins of inadvertence" challenges Victorian moral codes that judged actions regardless of intent. The word "persistently" suggests ongoing, relentless punishment that seems disproportionate to any crime. Hardy questions divine justice and social morality through this passage, directly supporting his controversial subtitle describing Tess as "A Pure Woman."
Time, memory and tragedy
Hardy shows how Tess experiences time through significant dates and events. These quotations reveal her psychological relationship with her past and the passing of time.
Tess marking time through tragedy:
She philosophically noted dates as they came past in the revolution of the year; the disastrous night of her life at Trantridge with its dark background of The Chase; also the dates of the baby's birth and death; also her own birthday; and every other day individualized by incidents in which she had taken some share.
The phrase "revolution of the year" suggests cyclical time, whilst the list of dates creates a personal calendar marked by trauma rather than celebration. The description of "The Chase" as having a "dark background" foreshadows its sinister significance. Hardy shows how Tess's experience of time is shaped by tragedy, with her baby's "birth and death" mentioned together, emphasising the brevity of the child's life. This quotation reveals Tess's attempt to process trauma through intellectual observation - she "philosophically noted" events.
The narrator on Tess and Angel's growing intimacy:
Every day, every hour, brought to him one more little stroke of her nature, and to her one more of his. Tess was trying to lead a repressed life, but she little divined the strength of her own vitality.
The repetition of "every day, every hour" emphasises the gradual nature of falling in love and learning another person's character. The phrase "little stroke" suggests artistic creation, as if they are painting portraits of each other through accumulated details.
The contrast between Tess's "repressed life" and her "vitality" is crucial - Hardy suggests that Tess's life force cannot be permanently suppressed, foreshadowing both her passionate nature and eventual tragedy.
Self-worth and identity
These quotations reveal Tess's complex relationship with her own identity and value, showing how social circumstances affect self-perception.
Tess comparing herself to Angel:
My life looks as if it had been wasted for want of chances! When I see what you know, what you have read, and seen, and thought, I feel what a nothing I am!
The exclamation marks convey Tess's emotional intensity and sense of lost opportunities. The phrase "wasted for want of chances" highlights how poverty and gender limit potential in Victorian society. When Tess describes herself as "a nothing," she reveals how lack of education and experience can make intelligent people doubt their own worth.
This quotation is important for understanding the class difference between Tess and Angel and how it affects their relationship. Despite Tess's intelligence and moral worth, Victorian society's educational inequalities create an intellectual gap that undermines her confidence.
Tess's inability to return home:
... but comfortable as her life had been there she could not go back. The anti-climax would be too intolerable; and her return might bring reproach upon her idolized husband.
The word "anti-climax" suggests that Tess has risen to a new position from which return would be degrading. However, Hardy's irony is evident - her "comfortable" life has ended in disaster. The phrase "idolized husband" is particularly poignant given Angel's abandonment of Tess. Even after his betrayal, she protects his reputation, showing her continued devotion and the internalisation of social values that prioritise male honour.
Tess's transformation:
hers who stepped from her mother's door to try her fortune at Trantridge poultry-farm.
This fragment presents Tess at the beginning of her journey, using the word "fortune" ironically since her time at Trantridge brings misfortune. The phrase "stepped from her mother's door" suggests innocence and the beginning of an adventure, creating tragic irony for readers who know what follows. This quotation marks the transition from Tess's sheltered rural life to her encounters with the wider world.
Nature and inner strength
Hardy frequently associates Tess with the natural world, suggesting her authenticity and connection to something beyond social conventions.
Tess finding peace in nature:
Had she been ensconced here under other and more pleasant conditions she would have become alarmed; but, outside humanity, she had at present no fear.
The phrase "outside humanity" is significant - Tess feels safe in nature but threatened by human society. This quotation reveals that human beings, not the natural world, pose danger to Tess. Hardy presents nature as amoral and accepting, contrasting with judgemental human society. The word "ensconced" suggests shelter and safety, indicating that Tess finds refuge in the outdoors.
Emotional subtlety and observation
Hardy uses small details to reveal deep emotions, particularly in scenes between Tess and Angel.
Tess observing Angel's tear:
She hardly observed that a tear descended slowly upon his cheek, a tear so large that it magnified the pores of skin over which it rolled, like the object lens of a microscope.
The microscopic detail of this description contrasts with Tess's failure to fully observe it - "hardly observed." The simile comparing the tear to "the object lens of a microscope" suggests intense scrutiny and magnification of small details, reflecting how Hardy examines his characters' emotions. This quotation shows Hardy's naturalistic style, presenting physical reality with scientific precision whilst revealing emotional truth.
Understanding and secrecy in relationships
These quotations explore how Tess and Angel come to know each other, particularly the secrets they keep and eventually reveal.
Mutual privacy between Tess and Angel:
Thus, neither having the clue to the other's secret, they were respectively puzzled at what each revealed, and awaited new knowledge of each other's character and moods without attempting to pry into each other's history.
This quotation is structurally important as it foreshadows the revelations that will destroy their marriage. The phrase "clue to the other's secret" creates suspense, whilst "without attempting to pry" suggests respect but also dangerous ignorance. Hardy shows that their relationship develops without full knowledge of each other's past, making their eventual confessions even more devastating. The word "respectively" emphasises their equal ignorance, though society will judge their secrets very differently.
Exam tips
Using Quotations Effectively in Essays:
When using quotations in essays:
- Always embed quotations smoothly into your own sentences
- Analyse specific words and phrases rather than just identifying themes
- Connect quotations to Hardy's broader purposes and the novel's context
- Compare how different quotations develop the same theme
- Consider the narrator's perspective versus characters' dialogue
- Link quotations to the subtitle "A Pure Woman" when discussing judgement and morality
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Tess's beauty and worth come from her mother, not her D'Urberville lineage, challenging Victorian ideas about inherited nobility
- Hardy distinguishes between "sins of intention" and "sins of inadvertence", arguing that Tess is morally innocent despite her experiences
- Tess fears collective judgement (gossip) more than individual knowledge of her past, revealing the power of community opinion in Victorian society
- The novel presents Tess as capable of profound, sacrificial love, contrasting with Angel's more intellectual and conditional affection
- Nature provides Tess with refuge from human society, which is presented as the true source of danger and judgement