In the following essay, Claridge argues that Thomas Hardy's subversion of Tess's sexual and psychological purity in Tess of the d'Urbervilles leads to that text's aesthetic incoherence.)

In the following essay, Carpenter offers an overview of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, calling it a story of a peasant girl transformed into universal tragedy.

In the following essay, Wilson asserts Hardy's poem was adapted from a popular music-hall song. Wilson examines how these works, along with works like Tess of the d'Urbervilles, characterize compromised women and use of fashion in making statements about power.