Jude The Obscure

Hardy's last and most controversial novel; Jude the Obscure caused much outrage when it was published in 1895. Jude Fawley; poor and working-class; longs to study at the University of Christminster; but his ambitions to go to university are thwarted by class prejudice and his entrapment in a loveless marriage. He falls in love with his unconventional cousin; Sue Bridehead; and their refusal to marry when free to do so confirms their rejection of and by the world around them. The shocking fate that overtakes them is an indictment of a rigid and uncaring society. This is the first truly critical edition; taking account of the changes that Hardy made over twenty-five years. Hardy's last; and most controversial novel; this revised edition has the first truly critical text; a new chronology and bibliography; and substantially revised notes.