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.

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.

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.

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

• • 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