ess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman is a novel by Thomas Hardy. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper The Graphic in 1891 and in book form in 1892. Like much of Hardy’s work, the novel focuses partly on the declining rural society of the Victorian era, and also addresses class issues, as Tess’ father’s aspiration to transcend his class sets in motion a disastrous series of events. Though now considered a major nineteenth-century English novel and possibly Hardy’s fictional masterpiece, Tess of the d’Urbervilles received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England.