Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, published by Penguin Publishing Group on December 10, 2019, is a significant work in the literary canon. This edition spans 528 pages and presents the unbowdlerized text of Hardy’s last novel, originally published in 1895. The narrative follows Jude Fawley, whose aspirations for a university education are thwarted by an ill-fated marriage to Arabella. Relocating to Christminster, he encounters his cousin Sue Bridehead, leading to a complex relationship that challenges societal norms regarding marriage and class.
Readers will find a detailed exploration of Jude and Sue’s struggles against societal expectations and the harsh realities of poverty. The book delves into themes of class and sexual relationships, reflecting Hardy’s critical perspective on religion and societal conventions. This edition also includes a list for further reading, appendices, and a glossary, along with an introduction by Dennis Taylor that examines biblical allusions and the novel’s critical reception. Jude the Obscure remains a thought-provoking work that continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.
Official synopsis Publisher
“I’m an outsider to the end of my days!”
Jude Fawley’s hopes of a university education are lost when he is trapped into marrying the earthy Arabella, who later abandons him. Moving to the town of Christminster where he finds work as a stonemason, Jude meets and falls in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead, a sensitive, freethinking “New Woman.” Refusing to marry merely for the sake of religious convention, Jude and Sue decide instead to live together, but they are shunned by society and poverty soon threatens to ruin them. Jude the Obscure, Hardy’s last novel, caused a public furor when it was first published, with its fearless and challenging exploration of class and sexual relationships.
This edition uses the unbowdlerized text of the first volume edition of 1895, and also includes a list for further reading, appendices and a glossary. In his introduction, Dennis Taylor examines biblical allusions and the critique of religion in Jude the Obscure, and its critical reception that led Hardy to abandon novel writing.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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