The present article is devoted to the analysis of the novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles by the English writer Thomas Hardy, examined from the perspective of the interrelation between naturalistic poetics and gender issues. The aim of the study is to reveal how the principles of the naturalistic representation of reality determinism, the influence of environment, and the role of chance shape the depiction of gender relations and contribute to the formation of the novel’s artistic system. The article argues that the character of Tess functions not only as a bearer of individual tragedy but also as an expression of the critique of gender inequality and the double moral standards of Victorian society. At the same time, the role of the social and natural environment is analysed as an active factor shaping the heroine’s fate. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that in Tess of the d’Urbervilles gender issues become one of the key instruments of the author’s social critique, while naturalistic poetics serves as its artistic foundation.

Keywords Gender issues naturalistic poetics determinism Victorian society double moral standards stereotype individual destiny.