Show Notes
If you keep losing, what if the game is to blame? If women keep falling, could it be that society itself is at fault?
That, in itself, is a subversive question in 2026--but even more so in late 19th century England. In his 1891 novel, TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES, Thomas Hardy makes it abundantly clear that religion and society’s complete absorption of religious ideas of virginity is 100% to blame.
Sonja and Vanessa give you a lively plot summary of this 400+ page novel. Therefore, SPOILERS ahoy! During the plot and after, enjoy some insightful analysis.
After half a dozen examples of “fallen women” novels this season, how does TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES put an original spin on the question of the fallen woman? Why was this novel censored? Is it a feminist text? In Hardy’s estimation, is the Christian god all that different from the Greek gods who enjoyed playing with human lives? Within this system of assumptions about men and (especially) about women, can a good man be good? Does a “pure” woman stand a chance? And how do impaled horses, dripping udders, and ripe strawberries fit into all this?
Along the way, Sonja finds a way to–again–bring up Heated Rivalry, and Vanessa makes a film pitch for Emerald Fennell. REFERENCES: Michael Millgate’s biography of Thomas Hardy was our source for life information on Hardy, but keep in mind, there are many, many takes on Hardy’s life. See this partial list of Thomas Hardy biographies. The mention to “Mina Harker” is to the main female character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula which we covered in S4E5.
More from In Walks a Woman
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Content Note: This episode discusses war, physical trauma and injury, PTSD, and suicide, as portrayed in the novel and in the historical record. Please take care while listening, and feel free to skip or pause as needed.