Abstract

Naturalism, as a literary school, once prevailed over Europe and America in the latter half of the 20th century and also has vital influence on the modern study of literature. Thomas Hardy brings naturalism into his works and Tess of the D’Urbervilles is an important work that represents the maturity of naturalism. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy emphasizes the subtle relationship between human beings and the nature as well as the impact on a human’s fate through the factor of heredity and environment. This thesis attempts to analyze Tess of the D’Urbervilles from the perspective of naturalism, including the factor of heredity, which is analyzed through the characters of Tess, and the factor of environment, which mainly involves social environment. With the help of these analyses, readers can have a deeper understanding on this novel and reasons of Tess’s tragedy from the perspective of naturalism.

Key Words: naturalism    heredity    environment

摘 要

自然主义作为一种文学流派曾经在欧美的20世纪下半叶风靡一时，现在又对现代的文学研究产生重要的作用。托马斯・哈代将自然主义注入到他的作品中，《德伯家的苔丝》正是代表文学自然主义走向成熟的标志。在书中，哈代强调了人与自然微妙的关系，同时强调了遗传因素和环境因素对人类命运所起的关键作用。本文对《德伯家的苔丝》从自然主义角度进行了深刻的分析，其中包括遗传因素和环境因素。通过分析苔丝的种种性格，阐释了遗传因素。同时，该文对环境因素尤其是社会环境进行了分析。通过一系列的分析，读者可以对这部小说及其苔丝的悲剧原因有更透彻的理解和感受。

关键词：自然主义  遗传  环境

1    Introduction
Thomas Hardy is a famous English novelist and poet at the end of the 19th century. Among his novels, Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of the most famous novels in the literary world.
In the past, the novel has been studied from various perspectives on the causes of Tess’s tragedy, including feminism, eco-feminism, fatalistic and archetypal approach. For example, Liu Jianzhen studies it on the basis of feminism and he argues that some unequal concepts of men and women are rooted in Tess’s inner world, which leads to the tragic fate of Tess. Yang Xianping analyzes Tess of the D’Urbervilles from fatalistic perspective. In his point of view, Tess’s tragic causes do not only lie in the social reason, but most importantly, lie on Tess’s personalities. What is more, Zhou Chunhong analyzes Tess of the D’Urbervilles from the eco-feminism and she argues that the delicate relationship between Tess and men as well as the intimate relationship between Tess and nature is the most significant reason why Tess possesses a tragic ending.