Hardy, Thomas,--1840-1928--Jude the obscure

Thomas Hardy's novels reflect a tradition important to authors of Victorian fiction, that of the use of allusion to major works of literature in order to enhance the appeal of their own work. In Jude the Obscure references are made to mythology, the English Romantics, Shakespeare, and, especially, to the Bible. Jude is Hardy's final novel, and the use of Biblical analogy separates it from all the others. In it Hardy traces the odyssey of Jude, showing that at important turning points in his life Biblical references serve as guideposts marking his direction. The device acts to identify Jude with the same Judeo-Christian heritage that provides the foundation on which Victorian society rests; however, the Victorians do not acknowledge him as one of their own. Through Biblical allusion Hardy shows that Jude is a rightful heir, but the legacy is denied him as he becomes instead that society's victim.

This study was undertaken in order to provide the reader
of Jude the Obscure· with a better understanding of the
nature of the directing influences upon the main character
insofar as they control his actions and thus his destiny.
Jude Fawley's misperceptions of Christminster, Arabella
Donn, and Sue Bridehead are the direct result of his
idealistic nature and contribute to his tragic demise.
Jude's inability to cope with reality manifests itself in
a recurrent death-wish which is the direct result of the
failure of his idealistic misperceptions to endure for long
in the light of reality. Therefore, the true tragedy of Jude
is his inability to see that it is his own nature that has
brought him to his fate and not some outside, impersonal force.

Published in 1895, Jude the Obscure was Thomas Hardy's last novel. With the approach of the turn-of-the-century, Victorian England experienced profound changes in its social structure. The writing of novels about oppressed women was popular in the late nineteenth century. As the narrative voice in Jude, Thomas Hardy sought to challenge the current conditions for women and men in society. His novel explores the reality of these conditions, and his characters, namely Sue Bridehead and Jude Fawley, show readers what can happen when people are unable to adapt to the laws and conventions set forth by society.