Essays on Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure is a novel by Thomas Hardy, published in 1895. It is Hardy’s last completed novel.The story is set in the fictional town of Christminster (a thinly-veiled version of Oxford) and tells the tragic story of Jude Fawley, a working-class man who is trying to make his way in the world by getting an education. Jude is in love with Arabella Donn, a beautiful but cold-hearted woman who is only interested in money and status.Jude’s plans are derailed when he meets and falls in love with Sue Bridehead, a free-spirited woman who is also Arabella’s cousin. Sue is everything that Arabella is not – warm, passionate, and open-minded.The novel follows Jude and Sue’s forbidden love affair as they try to make a life together against all odds. Jude the Obscure is a powerful and moving story about love, class, and society.