This was a really eye opening depiction of the lives of rural women in the 19th century, the pressures of familial responsibility versus working life, and external/ internal perceptions of their value. Thomas Hardy explored classism, sexism, relgious/ moral belief systems and the influence they had on gender dynamics and gendered violence. This culminated in a tragic story following Tess Durbeyfield, the revelation that she was a descendent of the once great D’Urberville family, and the events that follow as she comes of age and navigates the wanted and unwanted attentions of men, personal and familial crises and the weight of public opinion and societal beliefs on self worth.