Tess of the d’Urbervilles · Chapter
Explanatory Note to the First Edition explained
Thomas Hardy explains the publication history of the novel, which appeared in serialized form in The Graphic, Fortnightly Review, and National Observer, and is now presented complete as originally written.
What happens
Thomas Hardy explains the publication history of the novel, which appeared in serialized form in The Graphic, Fortnightly Review, and National Observer, and is now presented complete as originally written. He defends the sincerity of his work and its truthful depiction of life, quoting St. Jerome to justify revealing uncomfortable truths.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Resilience
Hardy frames the novel as a sincere attempt to depict truth, implying the suffering of his characters is part of a larger, unvarnished reality.
Key passages
“If an offence come out of the truth, better is it that the offence come than that the truth be concealed.”
It is better to cause offense by telling the truth than to hide the truth to avoid offense.
Hardy uses St. Jerome's maxim to justify the novel's candid portrayal of social and moral issues.