Abstract:British novelist Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece Tess of the D’Urbervilles attracts numerous readers. The theme of the novel is the tragic fate of “a pure woman.” The heroine Tess turned into a murderer on the scaffold from a kind-hearted, pure, industrious, selfless peasant girl. What are the causes of the great transformation of Tess? This paper analyses the reasons of Tess’s tragic life from three aspects: Tess’s own character shortcomings, the influence of Tess’s family and those of the 18th-century British society. This study attempts to help readers have a better understanding of Tess’s tragic life.

Key words: Tess; tragic life; character; family; society

摘要:英国小说家托马斯·哈代的代表作《苔丝》吸引着无数读者，这部小说的主旨是“一个纯洁的女人”的悲剧命运。女主人公苔丝从一位善良、纯真、勤劳、无私的农家姑娘沦为绞刑架上的杀人犯。究竟是何种原因导致苔丝的巨大转变？本论文从三个层面入手分析导致苔丝命运悲剧的原因：苔丝自身的性格缺点、苔丝的家庭原因以及18世纪英国的社会原因。本课题研究将有助于读者进一步理解苔丝的命运悲剧。

关键词：苔丝；命运悲剧；性格；家庭；社会