Insert obligatory "Hey Jude" reference here

Jude the Obscure
Thomas Hardy

I admit it: I have a soft spot for Thomas Hardy. I did my master’s project on Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and I don’t understand why some colleagues of mine roll their eyes upon hearing of my fondness for the tragic writer. Just look at him. Talented and adorable. Take that, naysayers!

Jude the Obscure was Hardy’s last book; the public outcry it provoked compelled Hardy to cease writing fiction for the rest of his life. Hardy, however, was ahead of his time, for Jude the Obscure gives us Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead, two of the most unconventional characters I have encountered in a long, long time.

The novel follows Jude Fawley though his quest to become a learned man. An orphaned country boy with neither money nor status, Jude has little chance of going to university and making something of himself. These hindrances won’t stop Jude, though, and as a young boy he procures himself some Greek and Latin texts, slowly laboring through them until he can gain some understand of the words. As he grows, he keeps his goal firmly in mind and appears well on the way to achieving it when he meets the wanton Arabella, and, after she tricks him into marriage, life for Jude starts to go downhill. Anyone familiar with Hardy knows Jude won’t end well, but I’ll keep the rest as a surprise (I’ve only discussed the first two out of six books, and there are far, far greater shockers to come).

Jude the Obscure illustrates what happens when one refuses to conform to society’s norms and provides Hardy’s outlooks on marriage (an archaic, economic institution; a true marriage is in one’s heart, not the lawbooks), religion (hypocritical and outdated), and education (elitist and unavailable for those who most want and need it). Jude rarely becomes preachy, however (although some might disagree), and I tore through this over 500 page novel with the quickness.

In a nutshell: I’ve always loved Tess; unfortunately for her, she has been usurped by Jude.

Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars