'Jude The Obscure' by Thomas Hardy

Genre: Tragic Novel

‘Jude The Obscure’ by Thomas Hardy was a surprising read, of course, I had enjoyed his ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’, however, the blurb of this novel sounded rather dull in comparison - yet I actually thoroughly enjoyed ‘Jude The Obscure’.

Like his other novels, ‘Jude The Obscure’ entailed a romantic and tragic tale entwined with a protagonist that just can’t catch a break. To me, Jude is a mixture between Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens’ Pip, Jude comes from nothing, works his way up through the narrative structure of a bildungsroman; but of course, there is the Hardy twist of a tragic tone running throughout the entire novel. Throughout the novel I was rooting for Jude, he works so hard, he’s the true definition of an ‘underdog’, but something always seems to get in his way, money, work, education, or women.

‘Jude The Obscure’ is the ultimate tragic novel, with characters getting sick, dying, leaving, and in general not being good people at all, whether that’s to Jude, because of Jude, or Jude himself. I think what makes the novel such a good read is Hardy’s way of teasing the potential of a happy moment - yet something seems to always go wrong, and this is what keeps you reading.

I would recommend this novel to anyone that loves a sad, reflective story, ‘Jude The Obscure’ really makes you think about class, gender, education, love, and destiny.

Rating: * * * *