Tess of the d'Urbervilles

In the novel by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), now considered a classic of English literature, he tells the tragic fate of a girl endowed with beauty and a finely sensitive soul. The curse lying on Tess condemns her to pay for the crimes of her once-powerful ancestors. Ready to sacrifice herself for her loved ones, she protests the brutal violation of human dignity—and is forced to commit murder.