An Analysis of the Architectures in Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Abstract

Born in a family whose last four generations shared master-mason tradition, architect used to be a natural career for Thomas Hardy. Although Hardy chose to devote to literature at last, he was never fully away from this field. The traces could be found in many of his literary works with many evidences, including his masterpiece, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. This paper analyzes the meanings of the architectural elements employed in this novel, which are related to Hardy's own concern over church restoration movement in the Victorian Age, the arrangement of plot and the interaction with the characters.