Thomas Hardy: Stories

Bathsheba Everdene is a strong-willed, independent young woman who inherits her uncle’s large farm in rural England. As she manages the estate, she becomes the object of affection for three very different men, each representing a different type of love and future.

In the late 19th century, Tess Durbeyfield is sent off to visit a rich cousin, Alec D'Urberville, when her parents learn learn that they are distantly related. Returning from a village party he forces himself on the innocent girl who eventually makes her way back to her parents' home,ashamed and pregnant. After the death of her child, she makes her way to a prosperous farm where, working as a milkmaid, she meets and marries Angel Clare. On learning of her past however, he abandons her.