Jude the Obscure Analysis

*Wessex

*Wessex. Fictional region of England in which Thomas Hardy set most of his major novels. It is situated east of the Cornish coast, between the River Thames and the English Channel. There, Hardy freely constructs a partly real and partly fictional locale to accommodate a series of “local” novels, including Far from the Madding Crowd (1874). The countryside in many ways resembles that of southwestern England—rolling hills, babbling brooks, quaint villages, and rustic rural folk.

Marygreen

Marygreen. Jude’s hometown village in Wessex, where he is reared by his aunt. Marygreen’s landscape is idyllic and contrasts with the coarseness of its working-class population, as represented by Arabella’s family. Jude is initiated into adulthood in Marygreen; he learns a work ethic and experiences the temptation of fleshly desires. Here he marries Arabella and gives up his dreams of pursuing an education. This town is set in opposition to the university town of Christminster, which Jude views as an enlightened place of learning. This village is based on Great Fawley, Berkshire, where some of Hardy’s ancestors are buried and where his grandmother lived. Jude’s surname is taken from this place.

Christminster

Christminster. University city. Christminster represents a typical university institution of the nineteenth century. It professes Christian values of humility and generosity yet excludes applicants based on class and gender. Jude moves to Christminster after his failed marriage to Arabella. However, Christminster will not accept him because he is a stonemason and therefore part of the working class. Even though Jude is intelligent and has studied independently, his application is rejected. Thus the city represents the belittling attitude of the...

Thomas Hardy lived at a time of intense and rapid social change in England, and his novels reflect on many of these changes, especially those...

Most discussions of Jude the Obscure will undoubtedly center on Hardy's controversial views on marriage and education. Perhaps an...

Poet and critic A. Alvarez, in an afterward for the 1961 edition of Jude the Obscure, comments on its public reception in an effort to...

Like most of Hardy's novels, this one was written for serialization, but the finished text was much more effectively revised to minimize the...

Although its mood and theme do not lend themselves to pop culture formats, and its lack of a "positive message" seems at odds with many...

Abrams, M. H., et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. II. New York: W. W. Norton, 1979.

Baker,...