Tess of the d'Urbervilles

In the same year that it was released in its entirety in book form (three volumes), Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles was first serialized in bowdlerized form in the Graphic (July–December 1891). The book's subtitle, A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, reflects Hardy's view that the novel's protagonist is a good person who suffers as a result of the Victorian era's strict moral standards. Hardy's novel, which is widely regarded as his magnum opus, broke with traditional Victorian literature in its depiction of the rural working class and its discussion of sexuality and religion.