Assignment - 4 - Obscureness in 'Jude The Obscure'

 TOPIC OF THE BLOG:-

This blog is part of an assignment for the paper 104 - Literature of Victorians, Sem - 1, 2022.

OBSCURENESS IN

'JUDE THE OBSCURE'

TABLE OF CONTENTS:-

• Personal Information
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Thomas Hardy
• 'Jude The Obscure'
• Characters

Main Characters

Minor Characters

• What's 'Obscure' in the title?
• Obscureness in Characters

Obscure Jude

Obscure Sue 'Susanna' Bridehead

Obscure Little Father Time

Obscure Arabella Donn

Richard Phillotson

• Different Opinions on 'Jude The Obscure' 
• Works Cited

PERSONAL INFORMATION:-

Name:- Pooja Anilbhai Bhuva

Batch:- M.A. Sem 1 (2022-2024)

Enrollment Number:- 4069206420220005

E-mail Address:- poojabhuva2002@gmail.com

Roll Number:- 17

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS:-

Topic:- Obscureness in 'Jude The Obscure'

Paper & subject code:- 104 - Literature of the Victorians & 22395 

Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar 

Date of Submission:- 7th November, 2022

About Assignment:- In this assignment I try to define and find What and Which Obscurity is in this Novel, how Hardy reflects in his novel and what others think about 'Jude The Obscure'. 

ABSTRACT:-

'Jude The Obscure' it's not only the greatest novel by Hardy but it's a true reflection of society, problems in marriage, the mindset of the people, freedom of each person, rights of everyone, gender description and so on. And also at the same time it's a satire on all of this. It was written in the Victorian era but one can consider it a modern novel. Thomas Hardy can imagine beyond his age, and beyond the other writers of the Victorian era. Of course it's a fictional novel but one can find every character and every situation related to real life. Indeed it's a satire and true reflection in Dark side of society. Every character of this novel has some kind of Obscurity in them. Not only in the main characters but also in the minor characters influenced by Obscurity. Hardy finds every character from real life and real experience. And also try to describe how a person should be like mind thier on business. Freedom of the soul is very important, one can find the true meaning of it in this novel. 

KEYWORDS:-

Obscureness, Society, Satire, Lifestyle, Confusion, Jude, Freedom of Life

INTRODUCTION:-

'Jude the Obscure' novel by Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy. This novel includes bitter satire on Society, Education and People also. Courage to write this kind of satire very boldly and on the point one can see only in Thomas Hardy's work. Not only this novel but his other works too satire on various elements and features of human life. In this Assignment I try to describe Obscureness which I find in this Novel. Obscureness is a typical thought of mind which we all experience once in life. It is not a thing or feeling of embarrassment it's common in every human life. But in this Novel Hardy described the relationship between Characters and give every Character their own perfect point of view and liberty, can be a satire for those who are narrow minded people and can not accept anything about others. 

THOMAS HARDY:-

Thomas Hardy was born on June 2, 1840 in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset, England and died on January 11, 1928 in Dorchester, Dorset. He was an excellent satirist, English Novelist and Poet. He was the eldest of four children and his father's name was also Thomas Hardy. His father was a stonemason and jobbing builder and his wife was Jemima. His early experience of rural life can be seen in his later writing.

His works includes 'A Changed Man', 'A Pair of Blue Eyes', 'Desperate Remedies', 'Far from the Madding Crowd', 'A Group of Noble Dames', 'Jude the Obscure', 'Life’s Little Ironies', 'Poems of the Past and the Present', 'Tess of the D’Urbervilles', 'The Dynasts', 'The Hand of Ethelberta', 'The Mayor of Casterbridge', 'The Poor Man and the Lady', 'The Return of the Native', 'The Well-Beloved', 'The Woodlanders', 'Under the Greenwood Tree', etc. (Millgate)

According to William J. Long, Hardy seems like Merideth. He belongs to the present more than the past. In style, Meredith is obscure and difficult, while Hardy is direct and simple, aiming at realism in all things. (Long)

If we look at this statement of William J. Long, Hardy is a person whose writing style is straightforward and satirical, While Merideth is Obscure Writer. But the work of Thomas Hardy named 'Jude The Obscure' seems to have very Obscure Characters. Life styles and thoughts make them confused to make their decisions. But what decisions the characters of the novel make are interesting to see. When we look at the freeness in characters, it seems like this novel was written in Modern Time. This kind of novel and the story with boldness it's not made for that era of Hardy. This element of Hardy makes him special in his era, in the modern era and will be in future too. He has no fear of society and failure but instead of showing positive sides of society he chooses to show the true, bitter and negative sides of the society. Differences between upper class - middle class, rich and poor he shows us on the point. 

'JUDE THE OBSCURE':-

Title:- Jude The Obscure

Genre:- Romance Novel

Published:- 1895

'Jude The Obscure' is the last fictional and greatest Novel of Thomas Hardy. This novel describes the Obscure Situations of the Characters. How they are confused in phrases of life and get lost as life progresses. Even though all the characters are closed and attached to each other with full love, none of the characters forces other characters to take the particular decision and give them freedom to live their life as they want. 

CHARACTERS:-

MAIN CHARACTERS:-

Jude Fawley:- Protagonist of the Novel 

Arabella Donn:- Wife of Jude

Sue 'Susanna' Bridehead:- Cousin and future Lover of Jude and Wife of Phillotson

Richard Phillotson:- Husband of Sue Bridehead and Schoolmaster of Jude Fawley 

Little Father Time (Little Jude):- Son of Jude and Arabella 

MINOR CHARACTERS:-

Aunt Drusilla (Drusilla Fawley):- A relative who raised Jude 

Mr. Donn:- Arabella's father

Cartlett:- Australian husband of Arabella Donn 

Anny and Sarah:- Friends of Sue Bridehead:-

Widow Edlin:- An old lady who took care of aunt Drusilla before she dies

Troutham:- A farmer who pays eleven-year-old Jude to scare the birds away from his fields

WHAT'S 'OBSCURE' IN THE TITLE?

According to Alexander Fischler in his article 'A Kinship with Job: Obscurity and Remembrance in Hardy's 'Jude The Obscure', Hardy tried several other titles before naming his last novel 'Jude The Obscure'. From the start he had conceived of it as a kind of allegory, the story of a young man on his quest for life, defeated by the overwhelming forces of dark. Not only aspects of story and characters derived from experience, but also themes which had obsessed him from the time of his earliest attempt at fiction, 'The Poor Man and the Lady' in 1868. (Fischler)

OBSCURENESS IN CHARACTERS:-

OBSCURE JUDE:- The character of Jude Fawley is quite obscure if one looks at only a glimpse of him. But if we dig deeper he never forces Arabella or Sue to marry him because of his affection or love. Even in the end of the novel when Sue wants to get back to Phillotson, after some tries he accepts her decision. In Early-stage of life he was clear that he wanted to be a professor but because of his class in society, the University didn't accept his admission. Even though he is good in French and other languages, the students who didn't understand a bit of French got admission because of their high class in society. He worked as a Stone - Mason and there he met Sue Bridehead, his cousin and fell in love with her. And from there the obscure life of Jude begins. His wife Arabella also ran and married a man in Australia. After sometime she returns, and that time Jude starts living with Sue, and Sue too married Phillotson. Now here again Arabella ran from Jude's life and when again she came she came with his child name Little Father Time. This child now starts to live with Sue and Jude and with his stepsister and stepbrother means Sue and Jude's children. Now till here the life of Jude is going Obscure but not that much hard. But after this when Jude and Sue lost their Job, the return to their town and here when they both came Jude showed the graduate students from the University which he was rejected and feels the difference between his now and what he wants to be. Now for some days, they have rented a home but the lady told them to empty the place because they belong to lower class and give permission to stay there for only a night. When they are talking about this stuff, little father time hears it and thinks that because there are so many his father and stepmother facing this problem. So, when Jude and Sue went to find a Job and came back they found their three children dead. This incident separates them and Sue decides to go back to Phillotson. Jude tries to console her but she doesn't want to stay with Jude now. After sometime Jude died because of Illness. In his whole life he suffers with Obscureness and gets nothing. 

OBSCURE SUE 'SUSANNA' BRIDEHEAD:- Susanna Bridehead, one can consider her as an Obscure Character. But she is the one who is straightforward in her life. She does what she wants to, she stays home which she wants to, she doesn't care about the society and surroundings. From the beginning of the novel she seems to have a very open mind. While every woman knows about jewelry, shopping and reputation Sue only cares about how she can enjoy her life. She smokes, she drinks with men, does weird things and leaves her life openly. In the era of Hardy one can't find women like this that's why he is called a modern thinker. Even in this modern time we can't accept a woman's picture with drinks. Her Obscure life too starts when she falls in love with Jude. She was married to Phillotson even though she is living with Jude. At some point she doesn't know what and how she feels and gets confused by fate. Death of her children forced her to believe in God. Normally people think that they can get rid of the Obscureness of life by praying and serving God.

In the article 'Reading Failure in(to) 'Jude The Obscure':- Hardy's Sue Bridehead and Lady Jeunes'd 'New Woman' essays, 1885-1900' by William A. David, Jr. Says in early lines, Thomas Hardy was it work on his last novel 'Jude The Obscure' went to of the best known novels of the 1890s Sarah Grand's 'The Heavenly Twins' and Gissing's 'The Odd Women', appeared in 1893. Hardy met Sarah Grand later in the spring and praised her his friend Florence Hanniker as a writer who had 'decided to offend her friends, and now that they are all alienated she can write boldly, and get listened to'. He wrote to Florence in January 1894 and reported that he had 'found out no more about Mrs. Clairmont', Sue Bridehead at the same time was still 'very nebulous'. Two years later, Hardy had found the author of Keynotes and his Novel. (Davis)

OBSCURE LITTLE FATHER TIME:- When we talk about the children, they are the most straightforward and playful human kind. But the children described in this novel by Hardy are the most mysterious children. He thinks like a mature person and most of the time he likes to keep quiet. He can see the dark view of the world around him. One can say he is an old man in a child's body. If we see his state of mind he seems obscure because of the way he thinks. He is more confused then Jude and Sue and even Hardy's other Characters from the all novels. This type of mindset one can see in Hardy's ownself. Through this child, there is a possibility that he might be describing his own childhood. What Hardy experiences in his real life can be reflected through Little Father Time. 

OBSCURE ARABELLA DONN:- She is a good example of a person who is obscure in his/her life but doesn't know about it. Arabella is one of them. She ran from her husband two or three times. She left her child Little Father Time on Jude and lived her life. She marries two or three times but doesn't know with whom she wants to live. And every time she came back to Jude and requested him to accept her. In a way she is a bit of a confused character in herself but everytime she does what she wants to do. 

RICHARD PHILLOTSON:- I found this Character The most straightforward fictional human being. He is a smart, supportive, intelligent, respectful and understanding person. Even though he is married to Sue, never forces her to live with him. He always supports Sue in her every decision. When Sue told him that she wants to live with Jude he agrees with it and never blames her or Jude. So, in my opinion he isn't Obscure, but of course there is always an exception in everything but the obscureness in Phillotson is minor.

BARRY N. SCHWARTZ ON 'JUDE THE OBSCURE':-

In the abstract of Article 'Jude The Obscure' in the Age of Anxiety, Barry N. Schwartz says, An analysis of 'Jude The Obscure' reveals Thomas Hardy's major intention as demonstrated throughout his career as a novelist. Hardy's wish was to portray 'an honest picture of human nature'. Further in the article Schwartz says, Hardy had a private and public self, and one can only suspect which self is revealed at a particular moment. Whatever was within him that gave him the dark cast to his mind, he kept it well hidden, expressing it only as a philosophical pessimism. (Schwartz)

WORKS CITED:-

• Davis, William A. “Reading Failure in(to) ‘Jude the Obscure’: Hardy’s Sue Bridehead and Lady Jeune’s ‘New Woman’ Essays, 1885-1900.” Victorian Literature and Culture, vol. 26, no. 1, 1998, pp. 53–70. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25058403. 
• Fischler, Alexander. “A Kinship with Job: Obscurity and Remembrance in Hardy’s ‘Jude the Obscure.’” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 84, no. 4, 1985, pp. 515–33. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27709559.
• Long, William J. “English Literature by William J. Long.” Project Gutenberg, 1 Jan. 2004, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10609 
• Millgate, Michael. "Thomas Hardy". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Hardy.
• Schwartz, Barry N. “Jude the Obscure in the Age of Anxiety.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 10, no. 4, 1970, pp. 793–804. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/449715. 

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