Religion in Literature
Religion in Literature
The Role of Religion in Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”
Tess of the D’Urbervilles was published in 1891 by Thomas Hardy. Hardy was a novelist and a poet who wrote during both the Victorian and the Modern era. Tess of the D’Urbervilles shows many traditional Victorian views and religion plays a big role in those traditional views. The main character of the novel is Tess, a young and according to Hardy himself, a “pure woman”, from a working-class background. She is not an outspokenly religious person, though she takes part in most traditional rituals, since she has a profound sense of responsibility. When her son, whom she names Sorrow is ill she chooses to baptise him on her own with the help of her younger sister, hoping that will grant him entrance to heaven. When Sorrow dies, he is not buried with the other Christians, but where drunkards, other children not baptised and suicides. I believe that Hardy’s critique is not addressed to religion per se, but to how the Victorian church is run and in some way the way God is depicted. When Tess is baptising her son, it is a beautiful scene, although somewhat desperate. Religion provides comfort. Tess truly believes there is a merciful God as she prays for his life: ‘O merciful God, have pity; have pity upon my poor baby!’ she cried. ‘Heap as much anger as you want to upon me, and welcome, but pity the child!’ (108)
Angel Clare’s parson father, though harsh, also seems to have a good heart. However, when the local parson refuses to bury Tess’ son among other baptised Christians, religion is depicted as something exclusive and elitist, or at least the church. The lower class citizens of the novel take part in a pre-Christian ritual at the novel’s
The Role of Religion in Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”
Tess of the D’Urbervilles was published in 1891 by Thomas Hardy. Hardy was a novelist and a poet who wrote during both the Victorian and the Modern era. Tess of the D’Urbervilles shows many traditional Victorian views and religion plays a big role in those traditional views. The main character of the novel is Tess, a young and according to Hardy himself, a “pure woman”, from a working-class background. She is not an outspokenly religious person, though she takes part in most traditional rituals, since she has a profound sense of responsibility. When her son, whom she names Sorrow is ill she chooses to baptise him on her own with the help of her younger sister, hoping that will grant him entrance to heaven. When Sorrow dies, he is not buried with the other Christians, but where drunkards, other children not baptised and suicides. I believe that Hardy’s critique is not addressed to religion per se, but to how the Victorian church is run and in some way the way God is depicted. When Tess is baptising her son, it is a beautiful scene, although somewhat desperate. Religion provides comfort. Tess truly believes there is a merciful God as she prays for his life: ‘O merciful God, have pity; have pity upon my poor baby!’ she cried. ‘Heap as much anger as you want to upon me, and welcome, but pity the child!’ (108)
Angel Clare’s parson father, though harsh, also seems to have a good heart. However, when the local parson refuses to bury Tess’ son among other baptised Christians, religion is depicted as something exclusive and elitist, or at least the church. The lower class citizens of the novel take part in a pre-Christian ritual at the novel’s
References: Woolf, Virginia, To the Lighthouse, http://www.Free-eBooks.net , 2012. Barrett Browning, Elizabeth, Aurora Leigh, http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/barrett/aurora/aurora.html , 2012. McCann, Margret A, Aurora Leigh and The Portrait of a Lady: A Panorama of Art, Sexuality, and marriage, Forum on Public Policy, 2010.