Classic
Jude the Obscure
by Thomas Hardy
Summary
Stonemason Jude Fawley dreams of studying at the university city of Christminster, but poverty, a disastrous early marriage, and the prejudice of respectable society block him at every turn. His unsanctioned union with his freethinking cousin Sue Bridehead brings ostracism and a tragedy so bleak it remains shocking, as the couple is punished for wanting lives the world will not permit. Hardy's final novel is his angriest, an open indictment of marriage laws, class barriers, and the cruelty of convention.
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Historical Context & Significance
Hardy published the novel in 1895 to outrage, with one bishop reportedly burning his copy. The reception confirmed Hardy's decision to abandon fiction, and he spent his remaining three decades writing poetry.