Réalisme et poésie se côtoient dans ce grand classique anglais où Thomas Hardy dépeint admirablemnt la nature et la vie des paysans en cette fin du XIXème siècle. Fresque victorienne où les personnages sont scrutés jusqu'à l'âme dans un décor brossé avec tendresse. Presque cent ans plus tard, ce récit a inspiré à Roman Polanski un de ses plus beaux films.
Tess is driven by her poverty into the service of her wealthy relations. Her lowly position leads her to become the victim of her cousin, Alec, her seducer and nemesis. When she marries Angel Clare, she confesses her past, but Clare is unforgiving and cruelly leaves her to face her destiny alone.
Or, The Mellstock Quire: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School
The romance of Dick Dewy and Fancy Day, which follows its course through the four seasons of one Wessex year, is counterpointed by the activities of the rustic members of the Mellstock church choir