Jude the Obscure Summary
Thomas Hardy

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy was born June 2, 1840, in the village of Upper Bockhampton, in Dorset. He was the eldest of four children of Thomas Hardy, a builder and master mason, ... Read more

Biography EssayIn the later years of his long life, Thomas Hardy was probably the most famous English man of letters of his time, his reputation extending throughout the world. He is now generally reg... Read more

In the later years of his long life, Thomas Hardy was probably the most famous English man of letters of his time, his reputation extending throughout the world. He is now generally regarded as both a... Read more

A writer who expressed himself prolifically and successfully in both prose and verse, Thomas Hardy hoped to be remembered for his poetry. Toward the end of his life he remarked that his sole literary ... Read more

In the following review, which was originally published in Harper's Weekly in December 1895, Howells praises the "artistic excellence" of Jude the Obscure and defends it to his co... Read more

In the following essay, Jacobus accepts Hardy's contention that Jude the Obscure is a novel of contrasting ideas, and thus analyzes the work by focusing on the character of Sue Bridehead, rathe... Read more

In the following essay, Goode concentrates on the character of Sue Bridehead as he examines Jude the Obscure in terms of late nineteenth-century feminism, and explores the means by which the novel exp... Read more

In the following excerpt, Sonstroem focuses on Jude's at times "disorderly, random, [and repetitive" migrations within the structured course of Jude the Obscure to illustrate the ... Read more

In the following essay, Edwards and Edwards interpret the unconscious motivations of Jude, arguing that he "fails ultimately because he is too rational and too controlled." When Thoma... Read more

In the following essay, Saldívar probes the nature of meaning and referentiality in relation to Hardy's novel, contending that "the narrative of Jude the Obscure, while telling the ... Read more

In the following essay, Abdoo maintains that Jude the Obscure is a tragic novel in the classical tradition. All tragedy is grotesque. (Thomas Hardy, Life, August 13, 1898) Introduction Virgini... Read more

In the following essay, Berman examines the bleak psychology of parents and children that appears in Jude the Obscure. Little Father Time's suicide in Jude the Obscure (1895) is the turning ... Read more

In the following essay, Langland evaluates Jude's dilemma of identity in terms of his struggles with the social ideologies of class and gender. Because Thomas Hardy's representations ... Read more

In the following excerpted review, originally published in The Savoy in October 1896, Ellis calls Jude the Obscure "a singularly fine piece of art," adding "this book, it is said,... Read more

In the following essay, McDowell explores the symbolism of Jude the Obscure, contending that the novel's images "parallel events and deepen realistic and psychological aspects of the nar... Read more

In the following essay, Heilman examines Hardy's complex portrayal of the character of Sue Bridehead, calling it "an imaginative feat" that expresses Hardy's perception of ... Read more

In the following essay, Green addresses the concepts of gender relations and androgyny in A Pair of Blue Eyes and Jude the Obscure. When Thomas Hardy finished his last novel, Jude the Obscure (1896... Read more