`The Europeans' by Henry James and `Tess of the D'Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy, although written at different stages of the Victorian era (James's work was written earlier), both reflect some of the same attitudes and mentalities of their time. In the first phase of `Tess' and the first two chapters of `The Europeans' the ideas of marriage and attitudes to women, class boundaries and family connections in Victorian life and society are portrayed. As the similarities between the novels show, the values continue to be held in society from the beginning of the era to the end, demonstrating how entrenched they were. They even cross the Atlantic to America as illustrated in Henry James' novel. Although there are similarities between the novels, there are likewise contrasts, mostly anchored in the very different styles of the two authors.

The immediate parallel that must be made between the two works...