Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure

In his last novel Jude the Obscure poet and novelist Thomas Hardy wanted to tell a story "of a deadly war waged between flesh and spirit", to quote his own words.

Fast Facts

Author: Thomas Hardy
Genre: Novel, Fiction
Publication Date: 1895
1894-1895: Serialized in abridged form in Harper's New Monthly Magazine
As magazine serial was entitled "The Simpletons", and then "Hearts Insurgent"
Adaptations: Film made in 1996
Setting: Southwest English region of Wessex in 19th century

Plot Synopsis

The novel traces the downfall of the hero Jude Fawley. Jude is a lower-class laborer who dreams of becoming a scholar. Yet everything around him conspires to prevent him from achieving his ambition. He is trapped by the class he belongs to, by his marriage, and by his own sexual desires.

In the beginning, things look promising for the young Jude. He is working and teaching himself Greek and Latin. But then he is tricked into marrying a rather coarse girl. Two years later the marriage ends. Still pursuing his dream of classical studies, Jude moves to a nearby University center. There he falls in love with his cousin, Sue. From then on Jude - just like most of Hardy's characters - is set on the road to ultimate ruin.

Critical Reception

In 1895, Jude the Obscure was publicly burnt by the Bishop of Exeter, and some reviewers referred to it as Jude the Obscene. Distressed by the reception, Hardy never wrote fiction again, and he concentrated on poetry instead. However, today the book is recognized as a landmark for realistic treatment of relationships between men and women.

Quotes

"Do not do an immoral thing for moral reasons."

Categories

Writing | English | Literature | Books | Fiction | Novels

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The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Jude the Obscure
Project Gutenberg: Jude the Obscure Online Text
Yale University: The Modernity of Jude the Obscure Analysis by R. Schweik
Cornell University Library: First instalment of Hearts Insurgent (December 1894)
Amazon.com: Jude the Obscure Merchandise
SparkNotes: Jude the Obscure Study Guide
Video: Jude the Obscure (Time 5:02)

Jude the Obscure Free Online Versions

Wikisource: Jude the Obscure
Bibliomania: Jude the Obscure
Manybooks: Jude the Obscure
ReadPrint: Jude the Obscure Searchable Online Text
University of Virginia Library: Jude the Obscure
MasterTexts: Jude the Obscure
University of Adelaide Library: Jude the Obscure
Internet Archive: Jude the Obscure Audiobook

Jude the Obscure Study Guides

eNotes: Jude the Obscure
PinkMonkey.com: Jude the Obscure
Oweleyes.org: Jude the Obscure Study Notes
The University of Iowa: Jude the Obscure Study Questions
Penguin Readers Factsheets: Jude the Obscure Teacher's Notes (207.3 KB)
BookRags: Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure Literary Analysis and Criticism

University of Otago: Romanticism in Jude the Obscure
eNotes: Critical Reception of Jude the Obscure
Keio University: Born in Exile and Jude the Obscure: Comparison (33.7 KB)
The Victorian Web: The Coming Universal Wish Not to Live
The University of Texas CWRL: College Idealism: Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure Quotations

Literary Quotations: Quotes from: Jude the Obscure
PinkMonkey.com: Jude the Obscure Quotes
LitQuotes: Jude the Obscure Quotes

Jude the Obscure Author Information

- Mahalo Guide to Thomas Hardy
Wikipedia: Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy Society: Thomas Hardy Online Biography
Gettysburg College: Hardy's World
Books and Writers: Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
The Literature Network: Thomas Hardy
Phillips Academy Andover: Thomas Hardy Miscellany

Jude the Obscure Merchandise

eBay: Jude the Obscure Merchandise
Amazon.com: Jude the Obscure Books | DVDs VHS | Kindle Store
Barnes and Noble: Jude the Obscure Books | DVDs
Powell's Books: Jude the Obscure Books
Borders: Jude the Obscure Books | Movies

Jude the Obscure News and Articles

Nights and Weekends: Jude the Obscure
Telegraph: "Great Adaptations: Jude the Obscure" (April 12, 2006)
The Berkeley Daily Planet: "Thoughts on the Notion of Fictional Suicide" (March 28, 2006)
BBC: Jude, 1996 Film Review (January 16, 2001)
Time: Poet in Self-Defense (April 7, 1952)
The New York Times: "Hardy, First of Moderns" (May 28, 1922) (4.54 KB)
The New York Times: "Hardy's Audacious Novel" (January 12, 1896) (4.57 KB)

Jude the Obscure Fan Sites, Blogs and Message Boards

I Can Read Good: Jude the Obscure (February 27, 2008)
La Madeline: Restrictions on the Individual (February 6, 2008)
Cool Cat's Blog: I Will Survive: Jude the Obscure’s Arabella (February 3, 2008)
Bibliolatry: Jude the Obscure (June 04, 2007)
BookCrazy: Jude the Obscure - Hardy’s absurd hero (April 7, 2007)
Bookmark my Heart: Jude the Obscure (November 13, 2006 )
The Literature Network: Jude the Obscure Forum
PinkMonkey: Jude the Obscure Forum

Jude the Obscure Adaptations

Note: The majority of the links are to IMDb, which has pop-ups

1971: Jude the Obscure (Mini TV Series)
1995: Jude the Obscure (Song)
1996: Jude (Film)
1996: Jude the Obscure (Stage Production)
2006: Jude the Obscure (Musical)

Jude the Obscure Culture and Humor

Google Image Search: Jude the Obscure
Google Video and YouTube Search: Jude the Obscure
You Tube: Jude the Obscure (Time: 0:46)
YouTube: Jude the Obscure (Time: 1:42)
The Victorian Web: Illustration for Hearts Insurgent by William Hatherell
The Victorian Web: Old Grove, the residence of Phillotson and Sue
The Victorian Web: The cottage that served as a model for Arabella's home
BBC - Radio: Jude the Obscure and Higher Education
FunTrivia: Jude the Obscure Quiz

Related Pages on Mahalo

Thomas Hardy | Tess of the d'Urbervilles | The Memory Keeper's Daughter | Far From the Maddening Crowd | A Tale of Two Cities | The Return of the Native | Mrs. Dalloway | The Grapes of Wrath | Victorian Era

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