THE COMPELLING STORY OF TESS Durbeyfield, Alec D'Urberville and the Angel Clare proceeds at three levels. It is first a romantic and tragic tale of seduction and betrayal' of true love undone by the restraints of convention. Second, it is an indictment of the rigid class system of Victorian England. And finally, it is an inquiry into the nature of fate and of the inability of humans to control their own destiny. Hardy's power as a novelist renders the tale of Tess remarkable for its female perspective on love as an instrument of destiny and on strong emotions as precursors to violence and tragedy.