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Title: Jude the Obscure

Author: Thomas Hardy

Narrator: Michael Pennington

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-07

Publisher: Hodder Headline Limited

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Michael Pennington reads the much-loved classic by Thomas Hardy. Hardy called this story "a deadly war waged between flesh and spirit". It is a tale of doomed love and unfulfilled promise that revolves around Jude Fawley, an ambitious and intelligent young man, his cousin Sue Bridehead, and his academic mentor Phillotson.

(P)1996 Hodder and Stoughton Audiobooks

Members Reviews:

Rewarding for the Contemporary Reader if...

"Jude the Obscure" rewards the contemporary reader who is able to step out of their own lifespan and view the novel from the historical perspective of its own time, place, perspective and value systems. This comes from someone who loves Hardy as much as Dickens. It is top notch English literature and ranks just under my two favorite Hardy novels: "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" and "The Return of the Native". It is the definition of pathos and unrequited love.

Years ago a friend said that this was her favorite book. Having read and enjoyed three other Hardy ...

Years ago a friend said that this was her favorite book. Having read and enjoyed three other Hardy novels, I finally got around to reading this one to find out why. Some readers in Hardy's time dubbed this book "Jude the Obscene," but by modern standards its sexuality, while ever-present, is mild. I doubt that that was the attraction for my friend. The two main female characters, however, are strong, independent women which is probably what elevated the book in her estimation. Through those two characters Hardy critiques the laws and mores of his time, especially regarding class, gossip, education, sex, marriage, and divorce. But what about Jude? He is the nexus around whom the two women Arabella and Sue, his cousin, revolve. Despite the importance of Sue and Arabella, it is Jude's story, though to say much more about him risks giving away too much. I'm sure that if I met him and used the term "whiplash" he might say "Humph ...Tell me about it." His youthful ambition to gain admission to a college with a name like "Rubric" or "Sarcophagus" is just the beginning.

Hardy's thesis on marriage

Although Thomas Hardy's other novels don't exactly paint an encouraging picture of married life, they are overflowing with optimism compared with the sentiments expressed in "Jude the Obscure". To begin with, at least 80% of the ~400 pages in this book are highly negative in nature: The settings are dark & gloomy, with generally miserable characters steadily driving the plot from grim to outright calamitous. Interwoven throughout the story are numerous conjectures or sometimes conversations on marriage, nearly all decidedly pessimistic. Clearly, Hardy did not set out to befriend his fellow Victorians with this novel. Indeed, its poor critical reception following publication apparently induced Hardy to give up authoring fiction altogether despite living another 33 years.

A collection of words so dismal has rarely before been penned, but to Hardy's credit he arranges them well enough that the novel is a page turner and enjoyable to the bitter end. If his objective was to induce people to question the purpose of marriage and probable longevity of the feelings that typically lead to it, I would say mission accomplished. Clearly, he would not have been surprised at divorce rates in modern times in countries like the U.S.