Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy (1895)

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Hardy's last work of fiction, Dark Jude, is also one of his most grimly fatalistic, depicting the lives of individuals trapped by forces beyond their control. Jude Fawley, a poor villager, wants to enter theological school in Christminster. Strayed by Arabella Donn, an earthy peasant girl who pretends to be pregnant by him, Jude marries her and then abandons her. He makes his living as a stonemason in Christminster; There he falls in love with his independent cousin, Sue Bridehead. Out of obligation, Sue marries schoolteacher Phillotson, who has helped her. Unable to bear living with Phillotson, she returns to live with Jude and eventually gives birth to his children out of wedlock. Their poverty and the weight of society's disapproval begin to take their toll on Sue and Jude; The climax occurs when Jude and Arabella's son hangs Sue and Jude's children and himself. In penance, Sue returns to Phillotson and the church. Jude returns to Arabella and eventually dies miserably. The novel's sexual frankness shocked audiences, as did Hardy's criticisms of marriage, the university system, and the church. Hardy was so distraught by his reception that he wrote no more fiction and concentrated solely on his poetry. Important note: This book is easy to read in real text, not scanned images which can sometimes be difficult to decipher. The Microsoft eBook has a contents page linked to the chapter titles for easy navigation. The Adobe eBook has bookmarks in the chapter titles and can be printed up to two full copies per year. Both versions allow text searches.
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Social life and customs, Death, Pine, Fiction, Common-law couples, Man-woman relationships, open_syllabus_project, Adultery, Stonemasons, Diseases and pests, Illegitimate children, Children, White pine weevil, Illegitimate children -- Fiction, Unmarried couples -- Fiction, Children -- Death -- Fiction, Adultery -- Fiction, Stonemasons -- Fiction, Wessex (England) -- Fiction, Judas the Obscure (Hardy, Thomas), literature, Judas the Obscure, working class, education, spouses, history, British and Irish fiction (fictional works by an author), Wessex (England), fiction, England, fiction, marriage, social conditions, manners and customs, Hardy, thomas, 1840-1928, fiction, historical, Thomas Hardy, conflict, divorce, murder, desertion, English fiction, history and criticism, 19th century, Dictionaries, English language, French, Korean, German, Marriage, Fiction, Fiction, Sagas, English literature, General, Social stratification, The married, Ambition, Fiction (English), English fiction, English, Fiction, general, Fiction, historical, general, Didactic fiction, Love stories, Chang pian xiao shuo, Zhong guo, Dang dai, Maçons, Romans, nouvelles, Enfants naturalls, Couples non mariés, Enfants, Mort, Romance, Large type books, Hardy, thomas, 1840-1928, Stonemasons--england--wessex--fiction, Adultery--england--wessex--fiction, Stonemasons--fiction, Illegitimate children--fiction, Children--death, Children--death--fiction, Unmarried couples--fiction, Adultery--fiction, Wives--history, Wives--england--wessex--history--19th century--fiction, Education--history, Education--england--wessex--history--19th century--fiction, Working class--history, Class worker--england--wessex--history--19th century--fiction, Pr4746 .a1 1999, 823/.8, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Relations entre hommes et femmes, Roman anglais, Relations hommes-femmes, Dans la littérature, Grande-Bretagne, Moeurs et coutumes, Roman, Mœurs et coutumes, Stonemsons, Unmarried, Women, Men, Husband and wife, Suicide, Marriage, Littérature anglaisePeople
Thomas Hardy, Jude Fawley, Arabella, Sue