rod mclaughlin

The Tess of the D'Urbervilles problem (03 may 11)

I was brought up to believe that social class is socially constructed, in other words, class is a product of class. That Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a girls' story, and it's not really true that people are genetically categorised into a hierarchy of classes, as people believed in Thomas Hardy's day. But suppose they were right? Suppose class is something you can't buy? Look at Wayne Rooney - from poor trash to rich trash. This doesn't mean the current UK aristocracy is the real one - they are descended from Norman invaders or inbred German Junkers. But it might mean there is a real aristocracy, hidden among us, waiting for it's D'Urberville moment.

Portland

London