Compare and contrast the ways in which Hardy and Fowles present Victorian morals and values.

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Compare and contrast the ways in which Hardy and Fowles present Victorian morals and values.

One of the most prominent Victorian values present in both novels is the issue of purity in a woman. Both novels contain a ‘fallen’ women as a protagonist, however, Charles in ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ seems to be drawn to this flaw where Angel in ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ finds Tess’ impurity  unforgiveable for one part of the text.

“You were one person, and now you are another” portrays how Angel treats Tess “as though associated with a crime” after her finds out she is “a young woman whose history will bear investigation”. Hardy is highlighting the injustice of Victorian double standards on purity. “I forgive you Angel, but you do not forgive me” illustrates how Tess is willing to immediately forgive Angel for his sin out of her love for him. Victorian men are presented as being attracted to chastity in a woman above most other qualities. Sam in ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ dreams of Mary, whom he is courting, as being “prettily caged”. This metaphor suggests that he too was magnetised by Mary’s chastity by depicting her as being enclosed in an environment where no other man has ever been.

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Hardy once again stresses the inequalities between the sexes through his character of Alec. Alec ironically says that Tess “has not a sense of what is morally right and proper any weight with you”, when actually he is the malcontent.  “The serpent hisses where the sweet bird sings” reflects Hardy’s use of biblical imagery from the Garden of Eden story to show how Alec corrupts Tess, just as the snakes corrupts Eve. This part of the plot is echoed in Chapter 47 of ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ where Charles “forced a virgin”. However, the distinct contrast between these two plots ...

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