Upon its publication, Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles inspired much debate as to whether Tess should be perceived as an innocent young woman thrust too early into the cruel world of men or as a shameless young hussy, immoral woman who deserved everything she got. The author claimed to be surprised by this controversy, as he had intended the interpretation to be clear all along; he even added the subtitle "A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented" in an attempt to clarify the issue.
Now the pro-Tess interpretation intended by the author was also my own interpretation of the novel, so I don't need that explained to me. I'm still puzzled, however, by how it could be read as a criticism of Tess and the women like her. What justifies the anti-Tess reading of the novel? What is there in the text (or anywhere else, e.g. prevailing views in the society of the time) which could be interpreted in that light? Why did some people's sympathies not lie with Tess after reading it?
Has any anti-Tess critic ever explained their interpretation in detail? Lacking that, can we still work out what exactly might have led such people to their view of the book?
