Thomas Hardy

Jude the Obscure

Jude Fawley, a working-class stonemason, dreams of becoming a scholar at the university city of Christminster. His ambitions are frustrated by poverty, social barriers and an unhappy marriage to Arabella Donn. Jude later falls in love with his unconventional cousin, Sue Bridehead, but their attempt to live outside the conventions of marriage exposes them to social hostility and economic hardship. After a devastating family tragedy, Sue retreats into religious guilt, while Jude’s health and hopes collapse. Thomas Hardy uses Jude’s story to criticise rigid class structures, restrictive marriage laws, institutional religion and a society that denies people the freedom to pursue education and personal fulfilment.