To what extent are John and Joan Durbeyfield good or bad parents? How do their circumstances and approach to parenting shape Tess’s character and fate? Is Tess presented as a child or an adult at the start of the novel?

Social class and social mobility are important themes in the novel. How does Tess’s inferior social position affect the power dynamic between her and Alec? How does Tess view the prospect of social mobility differently from her parents?

The sexual encounter between Tess and Alec is deliberately ambiguous. What factors might have led Hardy to present the scene in the way that he does? Does the lack of detail heighten or reduce sympathy for Tess and her suffering? What differences do you think might exist between how a Victorian and modern reader perceive this scene?