General Chat

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

Although Hardy wrote one of my all time favourite books, I am not a fan of tragedy, so didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped.

Sue was a woman living 100 years before her time really - I wonder if her attitudes were those of Hardy, or if he had met a woman like her in real life?

I didn't like Jude very much, he seemed a bit spineless really, trapped by one woman's trick and then enthralled by another through everything else. I wanted him to stand up to Sue and tell her to have the courage of her convictions or to clear off!

I watched the film last night and it has a better ending (for me!) in that it leaves Jude still hoping that he can win Sue back. It's a good film and Christopher Eccleston looks just fine in it :-))

Maz. XX

Thank you everyone for that and thank you David, it is good to see things from a male viewpoint and from somebody who doesn't normally post on hear. A good review too. I don't know why I have not liked the last two Hardy books, it may be as simple as the fact that they have been in very small print and not easy to concentrate. I actually enjoy him when filmed for TV. Maybe I have a lazy brain then? Thanks again for all the reviews.

Ann
Glos

I am currently reading The Female Malady, by Elaine Showalter, it is about ‘women, madness and English culture, 1830-1980’

I mention it here as it mentions Thomas Hardy, and Jude.

She says ‘Thomas Hardy’s Sue Bridehead, in Jude the Obscure was attacked as a ‘poor maimed ‘degenerate’ ignorant of herself and of the perversion of her instincts’

It seems that in that period women who aspired to professional independence and sexual freedom were denounced as being hysterical, and often locked up in mental asylums. A classic case of this was the period that Virginia Woolf spent in the country having a ‘rest cure’ for her neurasthenia.

What worries me slightly is that according to the book women showing signs of an ‘insane temperament’ have a predilection for puns. I nervously await the coming of men with white coats.

Dee
;-))

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Jude the Obscure Well what a fascinating story, guess it just goes to show nothing is new Arabella set out to trap Jude twice, and succeeded both times, but to be honest I am not sure they were ever really happy together. She was certainly not there for him when he needed her at the end. Much was made of the fact that Jude and Sue were cousins and that they came from a family ‘unsuited to marriage’ so I guess it was only to be expected that their relationship would hit hard times It seemed rather extreme when Sue jumped out of the window when her husband entered the bedroom, and her notion of having a platonic marriage certainly didn’t meet with general approval. Her husband was advised that if all marriages became platonic then the family social unit would cease to exist. The death of those poor children had me in tears, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how that poor child felt, unwanted by his natural mother and then to feel that he was a burden to his father and Sue. How tragic It surprised me to realise that the divorce act was in force at that time, and ‘ordinary’ families, as well as the higher classes, took advantage of the laws. I found I couldn’t put the book down, and just love the way Hardy writes, he is evocative of the time he lived in, when the role of women was so much different to what it is these days. Dee (another Hardy fan) The film was good as well

Well 'Jude' was my choice....and I have to say it wasn't what I thought at all. I haven't read any Hardy for years....I think 'Tess' was the last one I read. And we did 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' at 'O'level. (that was Hardy wasn't it?) Anyway back to Jude. I found it quite thought provoking and felt Hardy had interesting insight into the female mind. It was depresing in parts...quite alot of parts. I ended up feeling sorry for all of them at different points. Sue wasn't very likeable, but was encouraged in her behaviour by both men. I didn't take to Phillotson and Jude came to a very sad end, after a sad life. Not sure what the overall message was, if there was one. The story wasn't enjoyable in the usual sense of the word, but I enjoyed reading it. Alfie

lol ... see Ann, I'm not alone either lol :-))) thanks AL !!! Maz. XX

Sorry to disagree. I love Hardy and have read most of his works several times. Maybe I just like depressing books! Find it hard to comment on Jude as I have read it so many times, but it's up in my top 10 classics! Recommend Hardy to anyone. AL

See Maz, I am not alone!!! Lol! Ann Glos

I found the first few chapters about Jude;s childhood and zest for learning quite interesting and thought I was going to enjoy the book, but after a while I found it very heavy going. It was difficult to identify or empathise with any of the main characters who seemed to bring a lot of thier misery upon themselves. Overall it was a dark and brooding book - when I got to the end and tried to think about what had happened in it there was very little which was memorable - just the frustrating on/off relationship between Sue and Jude. This is only the 2nd Hardy novel I have read (did Far from the Madding Crowd at school) but he won't be top of my list on my next visit to the library. Kate

no surprises there Ann :-)) not finished it yet, should be done in another couple of days. did you see my thread last night that the film was on BBC2 yesterday? will watch it when I have finished the book. Maz. XX

Review Jude the Obscure A well named book in my opinion and not a book I would want to re-read. Frankly I found it boring and it underlined why I don’t enjoy Thomas hardy. I can imagine that in the 20th century it would have shocked readers with its frankness though. I was not sure if Sue was a feminist, extremely shy and prudish, selfish or was just somebody who liked to lead men on. But then I couldn’t understand why she lived with Jude without marrying him and also had his children. Was she frightened of commitment? But then she married Phillotson. I thought Gillingham had her summed up well. “A tantalizing, capricious little woman, a little hussy”. I thought Arabella was selfish and only out for what she could get from a man. Hardy seems to have had a strange attitude towards marriage. But I couldn’t really work out the reasoning behind the story and was glad to get it finished. No, it was not for me, I shall not read any more Hardy. Sorry!! Ann Glos

Please review Jude the Obscure Ann Glos