Tess’ Marlott – A Walk in the Countryside that Inspired Tess of the D’Urbervilles

A meandering walk in and at the southern edges of Marnhull, the village that is Marlott in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Marlott was where Tess grew up; the home that she left four times and to which she returned on three.
During this highly participative guided walk, you will be encouraged to see Marlott as Tess – and Hardy – did. We’ll refer to the text, point to the plot line and attempt to understand why Hardy was inspired to make this Tess’ home.
This ramble includes several key sites on an ‘as if’ basis. We’ll pause every now and again to explore the locations’ relevance to the plot line. We’ll use the evocative settings as prompts to comment on the historical context and socio-political issues of the time that Hardy was pointing to.
This is intended to be an enjoyable and informal ‘hands-on’ analysis of one of Hardy’s most popular and controversial novels. Of course, we’ll also be taking in the sights of a delightful village and some beautiful Dorset countryside.
This will be an enjoyable, relaxed stroll, not a physically challenging, arduous walk. We’ll avoid main roads where possible, and there will be some walking in fields and on dirt paths. Please bear in mind that you may be on your feet for a couple of hours. In total, we’ll cover about two miles.
Advance booking is essential. To assure everyone’s enjoyment the group size will be limited to twelve. Joining instructions giving further details will be sent to attendees nearer to the day.