Tess of the d'Urbervilles' and Oranges are Not the Only Fruit' are two novels written more than ninety years apart by authors living in differing societies, yet both their protagonists suffer oppression of their religion. Tess of the d'Urbervilles' was written in 1891, and set in the same Victorian society in which Hardy lived. It was a society of strict moral standards, these morals being based upon a rigid interpretation of Christianity. In this novel, it is Hardy's objective to portray to the reader how religion can become repressive and despotic. The titular character, Tess, is the victim of this Christian morality. Jeanette Winterson wrote her debut novel, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit' in 1985. Winterson also conveys the same convictions of the oppressive nature of religion, however in this novel it is not highly religious society at large that is responsible for the subjugation, but a community of conservative, Pentecostal evangelists, namely Jeanette's mother, and her church. .
One possible reason why Christian morality, and religious repression is a key theme is both novels, is that both are autobiographical to a certain extent. They are representative of the authors' feelings and attitudes towards religion, and their past experiences. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit' has clear analogies with Winterson's own childhood and adult life, but in my opinion links can also be drawn between Hardy's personal life and the character Angel Clare.
To the question whether the novel is autobiographical, Winterson answered equivocally "No not at all and yes of course-. The novel's chief character is self-named; Jeanette. Winterson and Jeanette were both adopted into a conservative evangelist family, with strong religious beliefs and influence. Reading and education unless associated with the Bible and church was frowned upon. This incurred the amusing anecdotes of the outside toilet; "My dad and me always seemed to be in the toilet-, because "it was the only place to go- to escape the suffocating preaching of her mother, and she was able to read her non religious' books by flashlight.
