Jude the Obscure

Rating:
Summary: consequenes
Review: Besides Jude the Obscure, I've read Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess, both of which fascinated me. I find that although I don't enjoy the plot of the books necessarily, I enjoy reading them so much that I'm not able to put the book down. After I finish reading Thomas Hardy's books, I am left feeling less than enthusiastic for my future, but at the same time renewed with passion to make my future all that it can be. There is an underlying message in all of Hardy's book, one of consequences. Those who sow actions of wrongdoing will eventually reap misery. Jude gives up the things that he wants most for instant gratification.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughts on Jude
Review: An opening word of caution: if you've ever winced at a movie where the bad guy won, leave Jude the Obscure on the library shelf. Because we're not talking about a book where the protagonist merely loses. He loses spectacularly. If you feel cheated because you just found out the ending, don't worry: the first half of the novel will leave you so full of pessimism that you won't be able to accept anything but a tragic conclusion. It is hardly surprising that author Thomas Hardy gave up novel-writing due to the almost universal displeasure voiced by his conservative English readers.
The story outlines Jude's progression from ambitious young boy to hopelessly distracted and troubled young man. However, his problems are not used by Hardy to ridicule human weakness, but rather to take pot shots at selected targets, namely women, marriage, and the upper class. Jude himself seems to bear little blame for his misfortunes when the story is finished.
The plot and pace of the book often resemble a rookie driver's first attempt at operating a stick shift. Certain parts grind along, taking significant amounts of time without a critical purpose. Others race ahead without warning. The majority of the time period of the central relationship in the story is summarized with a single sentence: "Two whole years and a half passed thus." Dialogue seems to be strongly favored to narration, and at times significant energy will be required for the reader to plow through the elaborate conversations of certain characters.
The characters themselves are generally convincing, although often maddening. As suggested earlier, Jude really winds up as a tragic hero. While his weaknesses for alcohol and women are hardly ignored, they only serve to emphasize his humanity and evoke greater sympathy. The beginning of the book sets us up for a stereotypical feel-good, rags-to-riches story. As Jude fails in one aspect of life after another, it simply reinforces to the reader that the vast majority of us are condemned by our averageness to lives of mediocrity. Perhaps even more compassion should be poured out to Richard Phillotspon, Jude's childhood mentor and eventual competitor for a woman's love. He makes a very selfless and thoughtful decision on behalf of the said woman, and then suffers a mighty backlash from society. Despite this, he does not regret his choice or complain about having made it.
Our two male heroes are sharply contrasted by the feminine presence in the story. Sue Bridehead, the most significant female, makes horrendous decision after horrendous decision throughout, and despite her uncommon education and knowledge, she offers limited justification for any of them. However, her weakness is almost loveable when juxtapositioned with the blatant evilness of Arabella Donn. This woman dupes Jude into marriage by the basest means imaginable at the beginning of the book, and her reappearance at the end of the story only reinforces her true wickedness.
Despite his biases, Hardy should be given full credit for his ability to evoke sympathy. The plot, while bordering on being too neat and tidy, is believable enough to give credibility to his arguments. While taking significant time to develop, the storyline is carefully manufactured to defend largely indefensible positions and blame scapegoats in a compelling manner. It seems that Hardy wrote this work to create irritation within the reader, and direct it at the targets of his choice. If this is the case, then his mission is accomplished. In light of that fact, it is pretty obvious why it was not wildly popular at its first publication. However, if you are one who enjoys being irritated, this book is definitely for you.

Rating:
Summary: Jude and The Miserable Life He Leads!
Review: Jude the Obscure is an intersting book, which which begins with a small boy that is kind,loving and quite likeable. I found myself feeling sorry for him and his hard life. He is an orphan and lives with his great aunt that doesn't exactly treat him like family. Jude has a sensitive soul with a zest for learning and leads a religious life, and all through his childhood he dreams about going to college. He longs to travel to Christminster, the city of religion and learning, and all of his fantasty's point in the direction of this town. In between his dreaming and studying he decides to become a stonemason to support himself. Everyday he begins getting closer to his dream of reaching Christminster.
So here you have this interesting fellow, Jude,on his happy path to fullfilling his dream, until the fatefull day when he comes across his biggest weakness--WOMEN!! Arabella, the pig killer, is Jude's worst nightmare because there is just something about women that Jude cannot resist. I found it quite ironic that Arabella killed pigs for a living, becuase in many ways she ends up killing Jude's soul. Women have mystical powers over Jude. Later in the book he falls for his cousin, Sue, and she has full reign over him; worse than Arabella but her powers are softer and not as forcefull. Sue is the women that Jude adores more than anything else in the world. He ends up living with Sue hoping that someday they will marry--especially as their family begins to grow.
Throughout the book, Jude is juggling between his dreams of being educated, his devotion to religion, and the roles of these two women in his life. There is a backdrop of religion and it plays an important role in the book because it creates a contrast to the lives of the characters. Jude begins religious but after he encouters Arabella and Sue his dreams of learning quickly start to vanish and he begins digging himself in a hole that has no end. Before he knows it his roots in religion soon are pulled out and he becomes hopelessly reliant on the love he feels for Sue. Part of his departure from religion results from Sue being liberal and not very religiou, which in the end takes an unexpected twist as Sue turns to religion for comfort.
This book is actually quite depressing as is weaves in-and-out of the lifes of Jude, Arabella , and Sue. These three people have no control over their feelings and in the end they all end up in miserable positions. I recommend this book only if you are in the mood to read about three depressing and unhappy lives. But the book does have interesting ideas about religion, marriage, hopes, and ideals, and the way they all intertwine and relate to the life of Jude the obscure. After reading this I realize that obscure is an understatement, and I no longer feel sorry for him, but find myself asking why Jude is such a naive fool.

Rating:
Summary: Jude the Obscure, the depressed, the lonely, the pitiable...
Review: At no risk of giving away the ending, I'd say Jude the Obscure isn't a gem, but its worth reading. Aren't we just swamped with depressing novels coined "great classics" from the middle ages and on? They are all full of dejection, tragedy, mortality and painful plots. Well, Jude is no exception. It falls into the ranks of these sorrowful books, containing nothing extraordinary (like some happiness) other than its unorthodox morals. Was anyone ever happy back in the ol' days? According to classical literature, no. Jude the Obscure is another masterful way to induce discouragement and bleakness...well done Mr. Hardy, you've done it again.

At the same time, if you can handle just one more sufferable novel, I'd recommend Jude...and if you like sappy soap-operas, I'd definitely recomment Jude. Admittably, the story is highly intriguing with a rich plot defined by rich diction. Hardy is a marvelous writer, and you won't be left unfulfilled after reading him. Maybe a little depressed...but not unfulfilled. It is hard to not become twisted into the plot, angered by the characters, mesmorized by Jude's myths, and lost in the fluent descriptions. Symbolism and good literature is appreciated as well as enjoyed...but I'm tempted to stamp on the cover "Another Depressing Classic" so a bunch of trendy humanists can gawk over it and talk about human suffering with herbal tea in their hands. 'Tis a good book.

Rating:
Summary: Jude is a bit too obscure
Review: After finishing Jude the Obscure, the reader is left with many questions that ask how Jude's life could have gone so haywire. He is caught in a love triangle with two unstable women, who ultimately keep him from his life-long dream, of receiving an education in the town of Christminster. He finally comes together with the woman he truly loves, yet she constantly pushes him away, not ready to give him her entire heart in return. One of Hardy's themes in Jude the Obscure, is that of love, but the primary focus and theme in the book is on marriage.
Jude marries the trampy Arabella in his early 20's. She is in an even lower social class than he is and doesn't understand or care about Jude's educational goals in Christminster. Their relationship is mainly based on physical attraction and is void of any real commitment and mutual respect. Arabella leaves Jude, fleeing to Australia, leaving Jude the opportunity to set his sights on Christminster.
In Christminster, Jude falls madly in love with Sue, his cousin and a schoolteacher. Sue resists Jude's affection at first, and marries Phillston, as a way to boost her education and career. Her marriage to Phillston is miserable. Sue is completely repulsed by him, and refuses to even sleep in the same quarters. Phillston grants Sue the option to leave and they divorce. Jude's divorce with Arabella is also finalized, thus leaving Sue and Jude free to marry. Yet they never do.
The town is very judgmental and unaccepting of Jude's and Sue's relationship, especially when they have two children out of wedlock. At around this time, Arabella comes crawling back to Jude and says that they have a son. So, Jude and Sue then take his son in their care, while Arabella runs off again. Father Time, Jude's son, is very insecure and disturbed. In his situation, what kid wouldn't be? Yet, Jude and Sue fail to realize the extent of his depression and insanity.
Sue walks into the house one morning, to find that Father Time has hanged their two children as well as himself. This horrific event makes Sue believe that her relationship with Jude is cursed and that the deaths of their children was a punishment from God. To do penance for her immoral behavior, Sue leaves Jude and goes back to Phillston, believing she doesn't have a right to be happy. Jude returns to Arabella, becomes sick and dies, heartbroken.
Hardy obviously isn't a fan of the instiution of marriage and makes that clear in Jude the Obscure. Marriage is a trap for both Jude and Sue. Perhaps it was Sue's horrible marriage with Phillston that made her so reluctant and unwilling to marry Jude. In the end, both felt tied down to their previous spouses and forced to return to their own unhappy marriages.
I really didn't like this book, perhaps I'm somewhat an idealist and believe that Jude and Sue could have gotten their lives together, as a couple. Jude is such a pushover. He never really stands up for himself, or does what he wants. His life is run by two unstable women, who never think much about anyone else but themselves. If you like tragedies, you'll love Jude the Obscure, which is a series of tragedies one right after the other.

Rating:
Summary: Hardy's Masterpiece: Questioned
Review: Hardy wrote Jude the Obscure at the height of his career. Does the book reflect his mastery? Or does it fall short of his capability? At the time of its publication, Jude (like Tess) received critical admonition from the public: The blatant sexuality and the unfulfilled/unheroic main character won over fanatics and made enemies of literary elites.

I picked up this book out of boredom, believing I'd put it down after a few pages. I enjoyed Tess from High School, but Jude for leisure? I was wrong: Hardy's poetic melancholy and rythmic cadence drew me in yet again. I was mesmerized by Jude, Arabella, and Sue. Though their conversations seem forced and some of their characterics unnatural, I felt sympathy for their deterioration and sadness. And in my feeling this, Hardy has accomplished a great poetic influence.

I really believe that Hardy could have written a greater Jude the Obscure if he was unhindered by the public. Though his true passion lay in poetry, he had much potential in prose. Too bad this was his last novel...

Rating:
Summary: Much to offer
Review: Thomas Hardy has much to offer the reader in this, his final novel before he committed himself full-time to poetry. It caused a storm of controversy when it was first published before the end of the 19th century. With its frank (but not graphic) descriptions of sexuality and its emphasis on the fact that only the two people involved need to consent to a relationship--not their priest or minister, not their families, and certainly not society as a whole--"Jude" shocked the public. It stands now as a beautifully sustained character study of a broken man and his steadfast love for the unsure Sue. Jude is a rock and it is fitting that he makes his living carving stone. Sue is birdlike, dainty, emotionally unstable and absolute catnip to Jude. Beyond this, they are distantly related and that adds a certain fillip to their interactions. The impatient reader will have difficulty understanding Jude's unwavering devotion, but it is evidence of Hardy's skill that he makes Jude make sense.

Rating:
Summary: Hardy's Jude - One who must not be obscure
Review: A very good book.It is shocking and disgusting but that is the beauty of the book.The initial part seems like another story of ambition but the twists in the plot shocks you.I started the book thinking it would be another mediveal romance like Hardy's Tess of d'uberviles or Far from the madding crowd but....

In fact it is a good book for anyone.Even for those who are quite familiar with the mediveal stereotyped plots, the book is a releif.It is surprising that the book is not so much discussed as many others which are said to be surrealistic.Though the plot is not at all surrealistic, the story would sent us to a sort of frenzy by its sheer twists showing us how irrational rationality can be.It is a must read for anyone intrested in serious literature.Whatever be the contentions against the work , it acts as a link to the Victorian era .Not just the story but the reactions to the book, seen in the victorian era is quite enlightening about the life and times then.

Hardy is different here.So a Hardy enthusiast should read this book to get to know another face of the author.The book must be approached with caution and certain level of academic intrest and knowledge about the era.Only then a reader can appreciate the work to its fullest.On the academic viewpoint , i would say on a personal note that even for a non-english, non-european and non-litearture student the book went a long way in giving a glimpse of the life and times of an era and aroused my intrests.Thomas hardy pulls me towards England - to see the great cathredals, to walk throught the moors, to see the rural England. Of course i dont hope to the see the same England that he saw but i can see it through his words and that is enough for me.Probably once i visit, who knows, my dreams might be shattered....

Rating:
Summary: The real thing
Review: I just returned to this novel after twenty-five years: I first read it as an undergraduate and found it rather depressing, even slightly morbid. Well, it's still pretty dark, but the drama of thwarted desire and misplaced passion resonates, for a middle-aged reader, in a way I never imagined as a teenager--when the future seemed limitless. Then, too, there is the language, the ebb and flow of sentences, the rythmic exactitude of descriptions. If nothing else, Hardy reminds you that even the most critically-acclaimed novelists currently writing in English are still just kidding around.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Young Man Ruins His Life
Review: "Jude the Obscure" is the story of the self-destructive foolishness of the highly gifted Jude Fawley (ryhmes with 'folly'), which gradually takes him from a chance to become an Oxford scholar in spite of his provincial upbringing to a pitiful death it is better not to mention. This book is a well drawn example of a tragic waste of life and of great gifts, and as such it can be seen as a masterpiece of moralism in literature. It is hardly one of my favorite books, protraying as it does the brutal self ruination of high promise, but it does not lack in quality what it is missing in consolation.