l, Tess is the epitome of purity (at least until she confesses her "fall"). Tess herself combines Alec's sensual nature tempered by Angel's spirituality. She prefers, however, to live in a state of unerotic betrothal, in which the fantasy of romance is often more appealing to her than the more sexual aspects of love between a man and a woman. Hardy was disturbed by Victorian hypocrisy toward sex. Most people hid their sexual impulses, expected good women not to have any, and applied a double standard to the sexual practices of men and women. This standard condemns Tess for having premarital sex. Hardy explores sex as both a painful and a pleasurable experience. Tess' dairymaid friends writhe and weep over their impossible love for Angel, and Tess herself finally accepts his proposal because she can no longer bear the pain of saying no. - THE OLD ORDER VERSUS THE NEW ORDER Many readers see Tess as a social novel in which the heroine represents the old agrarian order battling against the new industrial order. These readers focus on her relationship and irreconcilable conflict with Alec, who represents the new middle-class rulers of Britain. Men like Alec have much money and power, but unlike the old rulers (such as Tess' d'Urberville ancestors), their power comes not from the land but from industry. As a symbol of the new order Alec is depicted as estranged from nature, irresponsible, unfocused, and insensitive to those he rules. Tess, as a representative of the old agrarian order, is seen as warm, charitable, in ha...
