This task is assigned by Prof. Dilip Barad to enrich our understanding of the novel with the help of various resources.
Structure of the Novel Jude the Obscure
This video, prepared by Prof. Dilip Barad, provides a critical analysis of the novel Jude the Obscure, focusing primarily on its narrative structure, the psychological development of its main characters, and the central themes surrounding the "Modern Spirit". Hardy's description of the novel in the preface where he describes the novel as "the tragedy of unfulfilled aims" that justifies Jude the Obscure as a tragedy.
I. Novel Overview and Critical Context
The discussion centers on the structure of Jude, which is described as a very long narrative. The novel is acknowledged as very complex. Critics have sometimes criticized the author (Hardy), suggesting that he displayed a lack of restraint over his characters. The overarching theme of the work is defined as the Tragedy of Unfulfilled Aims.
II. Core Structure: The Complete Reversal
The structure of the novel hinges on the two important central characters, Jude and Sue. The key structural element is the occurrence of a complete change or reversal of belief in both characters. This reversal significantly impacts their changing marital relationships.
• Initially, both characters come together, then part, then come together again.
• The narrative eventually sees them part once more, even after having started life together again.
• Their lives and actions illustrate the development of their differences in mind over time.
III. Character Beliefs and Transformation
The structure contrasts the initial, opposing belief systems of Jude and Sue, and then details the subsequent reversal of those beliefs:
Character | Initial State | Transformation / Final State |
Sue | Initially portrayed as a secular and rationalist. She expressed scorn for conventional religious beliefs. Her sympathies aligned with ancient culture rather than medieval culture, exemplified by her reading of Gibbon and buying a pagan statue. | She develops a profound concern for the sanctity of marriage and a desire to perform penance for her sins. |
Jude | Initially conventionally Christian. His background included a desire to be a priest, his reading of the Fathers, and a love of medieval culture and architecture. | He eventually finds he can no longer profess conventional Christian beliefs. His condition involves defeat and failure in life, which forces him to read the New Testament. |
We can note that Jude’s situation involves a defeat in life, which contrasts with his initial Christian stability of mind.
IV. Key Themes: The Modern Spirit and the Tragedy of Unfulfilled Aims
The fate of Jude and Sue is directly connected to the influence of the "Modern Spirit," a concept central to the novel’s tragic nature.
A. The Modern Spirit
• Both Jude and Sue are described as being caught up by the Modern Spirit.
• The Modern Spirit is characterized by being non-conventional.
• It promotes individual liberty and freedom and encourages movement toward individualism.
• The speaker warns that this spirit, if it lacks the necessary cultural controls, can become dangerous and destructive.
• The resulting tragedy is considered a result of this Modern Spirit or a failure caused by it.
• The author (Hardy) is recognized as a progressive writer but is still conditioned and colored by his own time.
B. Tragedy and Compassion
• The novel depicts a Tragedy of Unfulfilled Aims.
• In a thematic digression, the discussion emphasizes that love and compassion (karuna) are the trademark of Christianity. This is exemplified by Christ, who showed compassion even while being crucified.
• The discussion suggests that the characters’ struggles occur as they attempt to break free of old values, finding and failing, and arriving nowhere.
Symbolic Indictment of Christianity
The video provides an analysis and structured discussion of the article "Symbolic Indictment of Christianity", written by Norman Holland Jr.. The term "indictment" is defined as a serious charge or accusation.
I. Core Topic and Critical Perspective
The article offers a critical symbolic charge against Christianity. This critique examines Christianity's responsibility for both human happiness and unhappiness. The speaker contextualizes the academic approach, noting that Western scholarship, particularly in universities, frequently questions Christian religion, while other religions, such as Hinduism, may not face the same scrutiny. The goal of the analysis is to treat the subject critically.
II. Central Symbolic Imagery and Motifs
The discussion focuses on key images containing specific symbolic overtones that contribute to the indictment of Christianity. The principal images discussed are primarily associated with two major religious traditions: Christian and Pagan.
A. Animal and Sensuality Imagery:
• The Pig: The most obvious symbolic group of images involves animals, particularly the pig or sow. The pig is connected to animal sacrifice. A key incident described is the sow running toward a slaughterhouse, accompanied by a "goodbye".
• Lack of Sexuality: In the context of the character analysis, the pig is seen as symbolizing a lack of sexuality.
• Uncleanliness: The pig image is also associated with error or the unclean animal of the Old Testament.
• Other Imagery: Images of the peacock, the running sow, and Father Time (who represents a destructive force) are also mentioned.
B. Drinks and Sensuality:
• Blood and Liquor: Blood is identified as a third exemplary drink. This image involves a contrast where the Virgin Mary provides knowledge about consuming "liquor and carnation's or blood" while saving two thirsty people.
C. Marriage and Conventions:
• Marriage is related to sensuality.
• Characters who engage in physical relations outside conventional or Christian norms are seen as embracing "non-conventional sexuality".
III. Character Analysis and Religious Representation
The characters in the work are used to symbolize various traditions and conflicts, including the interrelation between aspiration and sensuality.
• Jude: Jude's character, stemming from the Old Testament (OT) tradition, combines sensuality (like the Song of Solomon) and aspiration (like the Ecclesiastes). The speaker reminds the audience that the Old Testament is connected to the "Rabbi tradition".
• Pagan/Non-Jewish People: Non-Jewish people are associated with the remnants of the OT. Pagan tradition is represented alongside Christian and OT traditions.
• Sue Bridehead: Sue challenges conventionality and Christian sexuality. Her sincerity is presented as standing against the lack of sexuality and the stigma imposed by Christian ideas.
• Jude and Felice Charmond: These characters are examples of "sexual or sensual people".
• The Interrelation of Characters: Characters like Jude and Philotson, or Richard and Arabella, are paired together, and their interactions reflect the principles of aspiration and sensuality.
IV. Themes of Freedom and Control
The article suggests that the Christian religion often represents an overpowering side. The life described under Christianity is one that controls freedom and happiness.
• Rejection of Control: Characters who refuse to be dominated by a "mighty religion" are portrayed as being restricted, suffering, and lacking social acceptance.
• Alternative Lifestyles: These characters pursue alternatives such as intellectual life, free life, or sensual/pleasure-seeking existence, which are considered outside the control of the dominant religion.
Bildungsroman & Jude the Obscure
The video presents a scholarly argument that the novel Jude the Obscure, often criticized for its structural flaws, is best understood as a Bildungsroman—a story about a protagonist's formative development. This perspective, drawn from an article by Frank R. Giordano Jr., reframes the novel's seemingly disconnected plot points as integral stages in Jude Fawley's personal and intellectual journey.
Part 1: The Central Argument - Reframing an "Artistic Failure"
The analysis begins by confronting the historical criticism of the novel.
Initial Reception:
The speaker notes that critics, most famously the author D.H. Lawrence, viewed the novel as an "artistic failure". The primary complaint was that the story lacked a cohesive structure, appearing as a "multiplicity of separate and detached problems" rather than a unified narrative.
The Bildungsroman Interpretation:
The video's core thesis is that these "detached problems" are, in fact, the very fabric of Jude's education and development. The novel's structure is not flawed; it is purposeful. It is the story of Jude's growth, his grappling with the world, and his eventual, tragic disillusionment. Every challenge he faces is a lesson, shaping his worldview until he ultimately rejects the society that has thwarted him at every turn. It is not a classic tragedy but a narrative of failed development, making it a powerful social critique.
Part 2: A Detailed Look at the Seven Thematic Problems
The video meticulously breaks down the seven key thematic areas that constitute Jude's "education." These are the societal and internal forces that shape his life.
1. Socio-economic Problems
This theme addresses the rigid Victorian class system and its impact on social mobility.
Education for the Poor:
The novel explores the immense difficulty faced by someone from the lower class, like Jude, in trying to gain access to higher education and intellectual circles. His dream of studying at the university in Christminster is a central, and ultimately failed, ambition.
2. Social Problems of Marriage
The analysis highlights the novel's radical critique of marriage and societal expectations.
Divorce and Public Opinion:
The story delves into the restrictive nature of marriage laws and the immense social stigma surrounding divorce. Jude's relationships, particularly with Sue Bridehead, are constantly constrained by "oppressive moral censorship by public opinion".
3. Psychological Problems
The internal lives of the characters are a primary focus.
Jude's Internal Conflict:
The video points to Jude's own complex psychology, including his struggles with his sexuality and a pronounced "urge for self-destruction".
Sue's Complexity:
It also specifically mentions Sue's "moral masochism," referring to her tendency to inflict emotional pain upon herself, often driven by her conflict between intellectual freedom and social convention.
4. Religious Problems
The novel is set against a backdrop of religious debate and change.
Church Reforms:
The analysis notes that the story engages with the contemporary issue of "church reforms," reflecting the intellectual and spiritual turmoil of the late Victorian era.
5. Ethical Problems
This theme explores morality outside the confines of traditional religion.
Naturalistic Morality:
The video explains that the characters search for a "naturalistic morality," attempting to live by a set of ethical principles and "moral sanctions independent of dogma". This is central to Jude and Sue's attempt to live together outside of marriage.
6. Biophilosophical Problems
The analysis touches upon deterministic ideas gaining traction during Hardy's time.
Inherited Traits:
The novel considers the role of "inherited family characteristics" in shaping a person's fate.
"Will Not to Live": It also introduces a deeply pessimistic concept, the "will not to live," suggesting a hereditary or psychological predisposition towards despair and giving up.
7. Spiritual Problems
Finally, the video describes the novel's engagement with a sense of modern alienation.
Modern Unrest:
The characters embody a distinctly modern condition of "unrest, introspection, melancholy, and isolation". They are adrift in a world where old certainties are collapsing, feeling disconnected from society and from each other.
By weaving these seven complex problems into the life of one man, the video argues that "Jude the Obscure" achieves a profound and unified artistic vision, presenting a powerful critique of a society that stifles the individual spirit.
Thematic Study of Jude the Obscure
Based on the online class in the video, here is a discussion of the themes from Jude the Obscure as presented by Prof. Dilip P Barad.
Free Will vs. Human Frustration
This theme explores the tragic conflict between an individual's aspirations and the overwhelming forces that suppress them. Jude's life is the central example of this struggle.
Jude's Ambition:
At his core, Jude is driven by the belief in self-improvement. He is an intellectually curious stonemason who dreams of leaving his manual trade to become a scholar at the prestigious university in Christminster. This ambition represents his exercise of free will—his desire to choose his own path based on his passion for learning.
Systemic Obstacles: His efforts are systematically crushed by external forces. The university, a symbol of knowledge, is closed to him because of his low social class. His personal life is derailed by ill-fated relationships and the rigid social expectations of marriage.
The Outcome: The constant thwarting of his ambitions leads to profound frustration, disillusionment, and ultimately, despair. The novel suggests that for the poor and unconnected, free will is largely an illusion when pitted against the rigid structures of society.
Marriage and Social Convention
Hardy uses the theme of marriage to launch a powerful critique of Victorian social norms, portraying the institution as a social trap rather than a romantic ideal.
Marriage as a Contract:
The novel scrutinizes the idea of marriage as a binding, often unbreakable, social and religious contract. Jude's disastrous marriage to Arabella Donn and Sue Bridehead's equally unhappy marriage to Phillotson are prime examples. They are bound by convention rather than love.
Rebellion Against Convention:
Jude and Sue's attempt to live together based on love and intellectual compatibility, without the sanction of the church or state, is a direct rebellion against these conventions. They believe their bond is more legitimate than any legal document.
The Power of Public Opinion:
Their rebellion fails because they cannot escape the "oppressive moral censorship" of society. They are ostracized, lose work, and are subjected to constant judgment. This social pressure is a relentless force that eventually grinds them down, proving that personal freedom is nearly impossible in a world governed by rigid conventions.
Fate and the Human Predicament
This theme questions the extent to which individuals are in control of their lives, suggesting that larger, often unseen, forces shape their destinies.
External Fate:
Social structures act as a form of fate. Jude's birth into the working class predetermines his exclusion from the scholarly world he yearns for. The unyielding social rules of the era act as an external destiny that he cannot alter, no matter how hard he tries.
Internal Fate (Heredity):
The first video analysis points to a "biophilosophical" element, suggesting that characters may be victims of their own nature. There are hints of a family curse or an inherited "will not to live." This implies an internal fate—a predisposition to melancholy and self-destruction—that contributes to Jude's downfall.
Social Criticism: Class and Religion
This theme is perhaps the novel's most direct and scathing message. Hardy uses Jude's story to attack the hypocrisy and cruelty he saw in Victorian England's most powerful institutions.
Class Barriers:
The novel exposes the myth of social mobility. Christminster, a fictionalized Oxford, represents the pinnacle of intellectual life, but its gates are firmly shut to a man of Jude's background. It is a bastion of privilege, not a meritocracy. Hardy criticizes a system that values lineage and wealth over intelligence and ambition.
Religious Hypocrisy:
Religion is portrayed not as a source of spiritual guidance but as a set of rigid, uncompassionate rules that cause immense human suffering. The institution's strict doctrines on marriage and divorce are shown to be directly responsible for the characters' tragedy. Sue Bridehead, in particular, with her pagan and intellectually skeptical views, serves as a direct foil to the oppressive dogma of the church.
Character Study - Susanna 'Sue' Bridehead
In my view, this article by Prof. Dilip Barad offers a comprehensive and academically rigorous analysis of Sue Bridehead, one of Thomas Hardy's most enigmatic characters. It serves as an excellent resource for the students, successfully blending textual evidence from Jude the Obscure with a nuanced survey of major critical interpretations.
Key Strengths and Insights
The article's primary strength lies in its synthesis of critical discourse. Instead of presenting a single interpretation, it stages a conversation between different schools of thought. For example, it thoughtfully contrasts the views of early critics like H. C. Duffin and D. H. Lawrence—who focus on Sue's supposed "sexlessness" or "atrophied female" nature—with the more modern, existential readings of Jagdish Chandra Dave and Edith Kern. This approach correctly highlights that Sue is not a character to be easily defined but one who inspires continuous debate.
What also appritiable is the article's close attention to the text itself, drawing not only from the novel's dialogue but also from Hardy's personal letters. Quoting Hardy's letter to Edmund Gosse, which clarifies Sue's fear of the marital "iron contract" and its implications for her autonomy, provides a crucial authorial insight that enriches the analysis.
Furthermore, the analysis rightly emphasizes Sue's profound intellectual and emotional complexity. It acknowledges her as a "free thinker" with "Voltairean" views but avoids portraying her as a "frigid unemotional robot". Instead, it presents her as a "quaveringly sensitive" woman whose intellect and emotions are often in tragic conflict.
Avenues for Further Exploration
While the article is thorough, the analysis could be deepened by engaging more critically with some of its core arguments.
The concept of Sue's final transformation as an act of "existential authenticity" is compelling but invites further challenge. Is her return to Phillotson and self-mortification truly an "act of will rather than an act of intellect," or can it be read as a psychological collapse resulting from unbearable trauma and societal pressure? A counter-argument might explore her final state as a tragic submission to the very conventions she once fought, a spirit completely broken by "the letter of the law".
Additionally, while the article mentions the "New Woman," it could engage more deeply with a feminist critical framework. Sue Bridehead is a quintessential example of the New Woman, who challenged Victorian gender roles through intellectual independence and aversion to traditional marriage. Her ultimate destruction can be interpreted as Hardy's pessimistic critique of a society incapable of accommodating such a woman. In this light, her tragedy is not just personal but a reflection of a patriarchal system's failure.
Concluding Thoughts
This article is an excellent piece of scholarship that skillfully navigates the intricacies of Sue Bridehead's character and the critical debates surrounding her. It correctly identifies her as a woman torn between her "astonishing freedom of intellect" and the crushing weight of convention, ultimately becoming a victim of her own sensitivities and the tragic circumstances of her life. The article provides a solid foundation for any advanced study of Jude the Obscure, successfully prompting further critical questions rather than providing simplistic answers.
References
Barad, Dilip. "Jude the Obscure as a Bildungsroman Novel." YouTube, 15 Apr. 2020, youtu.be/HPguYqDXZuo.
Barad, Dilip. “Susanna ‘Sue’ Bridehead.” The Women Characters in the Novels of Thomas Hardy, Atlantic Publishers & Distributors Pvt Ltd, 2009. ResearchGate, Oct. 2023, www.researchgate.net/publication/374700278_Susanna_’Sue’_Bridehead.
Barad, Dilip. "Jude the Obscure: Themes and Symbols in the Novel." YouTube, 16 Apr. 2020, youtu.be/Qx45A-tz_5M.
DoE-MKBU. "MA Sem 1 | Jude | Structure | Online Classes MKBU | 2021 01 31." YouTube, 20 Oct. 2023, youtu.be/2a3yU97uXEQ.
DoE-MKBU. "MA Sem 1 | Jude | Symbolic Indictment of Christianity - Article | Online Classes MKBU | 2021 01 31." YouTube, 20 Oct. 2023, youtu.be/GgWQiqAuIpk.
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