Katie - I've been following you for a couple of years now (I discovered RUclips during the pandemic; I was hiding under a rock, in regards to social media, prior to this), and keeping up with your current videos and your writing (congratulations once again!). Just wanted to say, that I greatly appreciate all the material you have created and shared over the years. Your videos are a great resource. I keep going back (this one is 6 years past) to find and get insight/recommendations on books that I otherwise would not have prioritized. Thank you for all your time and effort in producing these, and all the best with your writing! Cheers!
Jude the Obscure is one of my favourite books of all time. I read it the final year of undergrad and it changed my perspective on a lot of things. Really identified with Jude's struggle to make a place for himself in the often secluded academic space. It was nice to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks.
Just finished this book! My third hardy this year! Where has this writer been all my life! Brilliant stuff. Jude is definitely my favourite so far. Devastatingly good!
All I will say is that, in High School, first time reading, I finished this exquisite novel on the A train during rush hour- Ha! With Jude, Hardy left me red faced, gushing tears- complete mess, and I really didn’t care because it’s perfect. I’ve read a ton of Zola & Balzac & other Hardy’s but he still cracked open other levels to where novels can go. ❤
This was a great series of reviews, Katie! Thomas Hardy is such an interesting author. His books are set in the same fictional place, and one would think that would cause overlap in his stories, but it doesn't. I like the fact that you chose Jude as your favorite even though technically it may not have been his best novel. That's how I feel about my favorite - Tess. Thank you for all the thought and effort that you put into your videos. They are very special.
I loved your report on a book I've always wondered about. I'm not a good reader but I know that reading is one of the best things humans can do. Maybe listening to you will help with that. You remind me of my British xgf, good memories. Your talking speed is good, I think. Thanks for this piece.
I know this video is like 4 years old but i appreciate it a lot! I recently thrifted a copy of Jude the Obscure. Wow 🤩.25 cents! What a steal! Ive never read Hardy before. I think I won’t let it stop me! Lol I’m really into the academia themes in books this seems like i will love it just as much!
This was the perfect ending to a fantastic 2 weeks of Hardy! Jude the Obscure It is certainly the most tragically beautiful book that I've ever read, and contains the most shocking and haunting scene in literature so far for me (you know the scene). ! I love how you say not to start out with this book twice in this video and that's exactly what I did. XD
Ugh, I can't wait to read this! I absolutely loved Tess, despite how bleak it was. Actually, I might have loved it BECAUSE of how bleak it was. So to hear that Hardy's final novel is his most depressing really excites me. The plot of a lower class man striving for excellence and education reminds me somewhat of Ethan Frome, which was also depressing as hell. If it's anything like that book, I'm sure I'll adore it!
Thanks so much for these videos. I've watched all of them and I appreciate your insights. 'Far From the Madding Crowd' is definitely my favorite, but now I'm motivated to read some of his other works!
In college, when my professor found out that I don't appreciate Shakespeare and that Jude the Obscure is one of my favorite novels, he just shook his head and said "that boy needs therapy." And I think that sums it up.
I've read "far from madding crowd, mayor of C, Tess of D and now Jude. Hands down Jude the obscure is my favorite of the lot. Thanks for such a brilliant video. You endorsed all my thoughts.
I found it touching and lyrical but it made me swear off Victorian lit for years. I still have PTSD from it 🤔 (and of course it was my first Hardy novel, and I picked it because the theme was enticing)
I briefly wondered what incident people objected to, and then I had this moment of realisation! It is a pretty dark incident. I thought Jude the Obscure was very powerful, though I love Tess of the D'urbervilles too much for it to be my favourite! I have a bunch of other Hardy novels on my shelf (I just got Desperate Remedies the other day at a book fair), so I'm very much looking forward to reading more by him. Thank you for the great fortnight of videos and for inspiring me to take up Hardy again!
Hi Katie. Have you read Hardy's short stories? I would especially recommend "the waiting supper". Congratulations on your publication, its amazing to see somebody achieve especially when so clearly passionate and happy with what they do 😊
Jude the Obscure is the Hardy novel I've always avoided because I knew it to be his bleakest of books. I remember going to my English teacher for a book recommendation and this is the book he recommended. He also recommended A Passage for India by EM Forster so he clearly hoped to challenge my belief that we do not need to read sad books. Either way, I have managed to steer clear of this book for eleven years now, but feel I'll definitely seek it out in the future. Although I haven't watched every video in this series I do intend to, and it has certainly made me interested in going out and reading Thomas Hardy's works. I only have Anne Bronte and Charles Dickens on my classic English literature shelf and feel I should perhaps expand that. Thank you for what has been a most inspiring series.
I really enjoyed your Hardy spotlight! I've got lots of new ideas about Hardys to read. It's so devastating that Jude was so savaged by the critics that Hardy stopped writing. I actually did start with Jude a while back in a book group. I remember enjoying the characters and premise and setting, but it's true the bleakness felt a bit heavy, almost a little OTT. So I didn't read any more Hardy till I read The Mayor of Casterbridge a few months ago. Probably because I once read that John Irving called it the saddest novel ever. (I used to be really into Irving a long time back and he still sort of fascinates me.) I didn't think The Mayor was quite the saddest ever; to find it so I think you have to warm to the title character on some level. I enjoyed the book but agree with your feeling that there are no characters to like, not even Farfrae or Elizabeth Jane. I felt like I learned about a time and a rural society I was unfamiliar with. I will definitely pick from your rankings/videos to choose which Hardys to read next. Also I now want to reread Jude at some point. Great series!
Thanks :) I know that I've grown to love Jude more on a reread (and Far from the Madding Crowd, the Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess, all of which I've read twice), and there are a lot of Hardy novels I'd still love to reread. For me, the Mayor is not as sad as Jude, nor as Tess, but I think like you say it depends on how invested you get.
Omg I have lately ordered the book and am still waiting for it to be delivered. Tbh I have watched the movie years ago and I still remember some bits of it especially that dark haunting event although I didn't like it. But now I am so desperately anxiously excited to read the book. Tess is the only Hardy I have read and I think it is bleakly amazingly enjoyable, omg I love books that break my heart I feel they are truer and more real
@@katiejlumsden very intriguing on Hardy ones ive not read, (sorry comment in wrong place) enjoyed your enthusiasm. my favourite writer. i think my favourite was the poems because its distilled Hardy, I wondered if the poems are maybe why he is such a good writer, 3 in tenebrae poems stick in my mind, I used to dip in to the poems for years, read little these days
Loved watching these! I've only read three Thomas Hardy novels, but the past two weeks have definitely encouraged me to read more! My favorite that I've read so far is Jude the Obscure, the ending breaks my heart! and least favourite would be Far from the Madding Crowd...I just felt that Gabriel Oak was far far too good for Bathesheba, she was an infuriating character, but I still love the plot, Bathesheba just irritates me. The last Thomas Hardy I've read is Tess, but I change my mind about it constantly...definitely worth a reread. I own the Mayor of Casterbridge so that'll be the next one I read I think. Thanks so much for these videos! I really enjoyed them! x
Danae Lamond - with far from the Madding Crowd it’s the written discriminations and use of language that is the real hero of this book. Bathsheba was a self centered puss and completely careless with the life of all in a precarious rural community.
So much character left out of everyone.....my dog could describe this as well. Phillotson in the beginning, a brief description of him would have set the pace, this book is about the Victorian ages social mores, rules, values, morals.....while giving us great insight into Britain's view about the working class and the sufferings thereof. Strongly written with intricate characters and the depths of deep love along with it's deep pain and joys. It's Hardy at his best, well worth the time to be read repeatedly.
Can you say what the controversial bit 2/3 in that you described is? Would like to read 2-3 more Hardy books before this one but am too curious to know what it is.
I can, though it is a big spoiler . . . Jude's child from his first marriage murders the children of Jude and Sue and then kills himself; some people find this section unbelievable.
I loved Jude the Obscure. It really made me feel a lot of emotion. Mainly I feel heartbroken for Jude because he was so driven by his ambition in the beginning. He was so full of life and excitement and then he met Arabella. The woman who, in my opinion, single handedly ruined his life. She’s such a menace! And I wasn’t a huge fan of Sue either actually. She proved to be very selfish, over emotional and jealous. I think she deeply loved him, but he deserved better. Jude was such a pure, good hearted person.. Minus all of the adultery. He made his mistakes but I think had a better heart than anyone else in the book. I felt so much grief for him when his dreams of being a scholar were crushed. He ended up just settling and letting his passion for Sue be the center of his world. I’m so angry that she wouldn’t just run away with him! Instead she would rather live with a man who can’t even touch her. A man who she should’ve NEVER promised herself to. She was so naive and self centered. I don’t even think she deserved Richards forgiveness.
Jude the Obscure is the only Hardy novel I’ve read so far and I loved it just as much as you do (so much so that I’m afraid I will never again like any of his other books equally; any recommendation for my case?). Maybe you’ll be interested to know that in 1956 Gabriel Ferrater, a great Catalan writer and critic, expressed an opinion very much like yours: “There are many reasons for thinking that Jude is a great book, but it very definitely is not a good [what you call “perfect”] one, by a long way.”
I definitely agree! It's such a fascinating book. If you loved Jude the Obscure, I'd recommend The Woodlanders and the Return of the Native, if you haven't read them yet :)
I really enjoyed your review. I have read it more than once and am reading it again. I have some vague feeling of Sue being a bit snobby. Am I wrong? I'll keep reading it and see what I think. I sometimes find that people who complain about the system doing them a bad deal can also look down on people who they see as below them. I presume Sue just lived our her life with Philiston but I'd love to know how did Hardy see Arabella's life ending or did he even think about that.
I saw the film with Kate Winslet and because of that event you mention hated it and always refused to read the book because I found this event not believable at all. You convinced me I should give it a shot anyway ;-)
I do recommend the book! I saw the film years before reading the book and didn't love it but then I read the book and loved it and now love the film too.
I too love Jude. My sole criticism of the narrative is that Jude & Sue's two children are such lightly painted characters, their passing has not quite the power it should have. Imagine how powerful the scene would have been had the author taken the time with characterisation of the pair. I do not think Hardy even gave them names.
Awesome video! I am thinking of starting to read some Thomas Hardy books but I don’t know which one to start with. So if you have a hood recommendation on where to start with Thomas Hardy books please let me know. 🙂
I would recommend starting with Far From the Madding Crowd or The Return of the Native. Also Libby Stephenson has made this amazing video, which might be helpful for you: ruclips.net/video/1kCPFWKFxhU/видео.html
no, she actually thought she was. that was her plan to get pregnant and then get married because of the pregnancy. I know because I remember that her friend was the one who gave her the idea, and arabella was worried he still wouldn’t marry her and then she would have screwed herself over because she’d still have the baby.
5 лет назад
I found it surprising that the book broaches the subject of mental illness among children. If you have ever been around a truly troubled child the description of the "old man" are chilling and yet another extremely depressing element to this novel.
I can't really say that I LIKED Jude the Obscure. It's not that kind of book. It is sad, Jude's story is tragic, and what this book (and the reaction to it and to Tess) meant in terms of future novels (there were not any more) is sad for us and for Hardy. However, I think with thios one Hardy had just about exhausted what he wanted to say about relations of the sexes, and poetry must have opened a more placid and welcoming prospect. If you compare the tone of this one with Far From the Madding Crowd or Under the Greenwood Tree, you realize just how far hardy had come. Society had changed, the economics of farming had changed (a lot), and Hardy's views of men with women must have soured considerably. Arabella and Sue are NOT good characters and neither is good for Jude, but Jude is such a complex, strange creature (is he the truest representation of hardy himself?), that the reader takes much of this in without much judgement. I think the story is very Old Testament and yet shockingly modern. It IS a great book, but I only read it once, and I doubt I'll ever re-read it. For my Hardy fix, I'd much rather pick up Return of the Native or the Bathsheba chronicle. I tried to read the Woodlanders earlier this year (or was it late last?) and made little progress. The characters were well drawn, but they seemed like Woodland versions of the Jude sort. Perhaps I'm losing my taste for bleak books.
I only watched the film; the terrible bit was so over the top I resolved not to read the book. Out of Tess, FFTMC and The Woodlanders, my favourite was Tess, even though I found it a bit sick.
I would still recommend it though. I like the film, but the film (and the terrible bit) put me off reading the book but years, and then I ultimately loved it.
I'twas 'cause of 'Obscure flak that Hardy quit novel writing. How would u defend the flak throwers of the time? How much were they products of their time? Jude is obscure, like Sanguini, Worple, Daphne Greengrass, Ali Bashir, Poliakoff, Wilkes, Jugson, Roberts, Fawcett, Derek, Euan, Vector & Sinistra in HP. Obscure types are usu not remembered. Wasn't there somewhere in S'peare (probably in King Lear) where a nameless character dies doing the right thing?
Watching you talk so passionately about hardy made me want to quit anything I'm doing and just finally start reading the guy. Thanks ;)
I highly recommend him :)
Gabriel Cezar - why in the hell does she speak so rapidly? Ridiculous.
Katie - I've been following you for a couple of years now (I discovered RUclips during the pandemic; I was hiding under a rock, in regards to social media, prior to this), and keeping up with your current videos and your writing (congratulations once again!).
Just wanted to say, that I greatly appreciate all the material you have created and shared over the years.
Your videos are a great resource. I keep going back (this one is 6 years past) to find and get insight/recommendations on books that I otherwise would not have prioritized.
Thank you for all your time and effort in producing these, and all the best with your writing!
Cheers!
Thanks so much :)
Jude the Obscure is one of my favourite books of all time. I read it the final year of undergrad and it changed my perspective on a lot of things. Really identified with Jude's struggle to make a place for himself in the often secluded academic space. It was nice to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks.
It is a wonderful book!
Just finished this book! My third hardy this year! Where has this writer been all my life! Brilliant stuff. Jude is definitely my favourite so far. Devastatingly good!
Well done. A brilliant series of videos on Hardy. Thank you so much.
All I will say is that, in High School, first time reading, I finished this exquisite novel on the A train during rush hour- Ha!
With Jude, Hardy left me red faced, gushing tears- complete mess, and I really didn’t care because it’s perfect.
I’ve read a ton of Zola & Balzac & other Hardy’s but he still cracked open other levels to where novels can go. ❤
This was my first hardy book, I love it and it got me to read more!
He's great!
Thank you for all these Hardy reviews. I am just starting his works.
This was a great series of reviews, Katie! Thomas Hardy is such an interesting author. His books are set in the same fictional place, and one would think that would cause overlap in his stories, but it doesn't. I like the fact that you chose Jude as your favorite even though technically it may not have been his best novel. That's how I feel about my favorite - Tess. Thank you for all the thought and effort that you put into your videos. They are very special.
Thanks :) Favourites are often quite complex like that.
I really enjoyed this series. And once I get thru Dickens, I think Thomas Hardy will be next. You're such an enabler! LOL
I definitely recommend him :)
I just finished the book. Poor Jude never went to school and died alone. Great book on many ways.
I love, love, love your enthusiasm! Read this last year and I loved it, this book just got me "hardy-broken"...
Thanks very much!
I'm a fan of Thomas hardy books. Jude the obscure is one of my favourites alongside Tess of the d'urbervilles.🤓
I loved your report on a book I've always wondered about. I'm not a good reader but I know that reading is one of the best things humans can do. Maybe listening to you will help with that. You remind me of my British xgf, good memories. Your talking speed is good, I think. Thanks for this piece.
I do recommend Jude the Obscure - it's great!
I know this video is like 4 years old but i appreciate it a lot! I recently thrifted a copy of Jude the Obscure. Wow 🤩.25 cents! What a steal! Ive never read Hardy before. I think I won’t let it stop me! Lol I’m really into the academia themes in books this seems like i will love it just as much!
This was the perfect ending to a fantastic 2 weeks of Hardy! Jude the Obscure It is certainly the most tragically beautiful book that I've ever read, and contains the most shocking and haunting scene in literature so far for me (you know the scene). ! I love how you say not to start out with this book twice in this video and that's exactly what I did. XD
Thank you! Well, it hasn't put you off Hardy so you're probably fine :) I think I always worry people will find it too depressing to read on XD
Ugh, I can't wait to read this! I absolutely loved Tess, despite how bleak it was. Actually, I might have loved it BECAUSE of how bleak it was. So to hear that Hardy's final novel is his most depressing really excites me. The plot of a lower class man striving for excellence and education reminds me somewhat of Ethan Frome, which was also depressing as hell. If it's anything like that book, I'm sure I'll adore it!
It is a bit like Ethan Frome in a way actually. I highly recommend it and the bleakness is done so well.
Thanks so much for these videos. I've watched all of them and I appreciate your insights. 'Far From the Madding Crowd' is definitely my favorite, but now I'm motivated to read some of his other works!
You should! I love Far from the Madding Crowd so much, but he wrong a lot of other brilliant books too.
are you still posting videos?? i love your content!
I am indeed!
In college, when my professor found out that I don't appreciate Shakespeare and that Jude the Obscure is one of my favorite novels, he just shook his head and said "that boy needs therapy." And I think that sums it up.
I've read "far from madding crowd, mayor of C, Tess of D and now Jude. Hands down Jude the obscure is my favorite of the lot. Thanks for such a brilliant video. You endorsed all my thoughts.
Thanks very much :) Jude is amazing!
I found it touching and lyrical but it made me swear off Victorian lit for years. I still have PTSD from it 🤔 (and of course it was my first Hardy novel, and I picked it because the theme was enticing)
I briefly wondered what incident people objected to, and then I had this moment of realisation! It is a pretty dark incident. I thought Jude the Obscure was very powerful, though I love Tess of the D'urbervilles too much for it to be my favourite! I have a bunch of other Hardy novels on my shelf (I just got Desperate Remedies the other day at a book fair), so I'm very much looking forward to reading more by him. Thank you for the great fortnight of videos and for inspiring me to take up Hardy again!
Thanks :) Enjoy the rest of Hardy - Desperate Remedies is so great and so underrated!
Hi Katie. Have you read Hardy's short stories? I would especially recommend "the waiting supper". Congratulations on your publication, its amazing to see somebody achieve especially when so clearly passionate and happy with what they do 😊
I have read some but I don't think I've read that one. I love his short stories, too.
Jude the Obscure is the Hardy novel I've always avoided because I knew it to be his bleakest of books.
I remember going to my English teacher for a book recommendation and this is the book he recommended. He also recommended A Passage for India by EM Forster so he clearly hoped to challenge my belief that we do not need to read sad books. Either way, I have managed to steer clear of this book for eleven years now, but feel I'll definitely seek it out in the future.
Although I haven't watched every video in this series I do intend to, and it has certainly made me interested in going out and reading Thomas Hardy's works. I only have Anne Bronte and Charles Dickens on my classic English literature shelf and feel I should perhaps expand that.
Thank you for what has been a most inspiring series.
I definitely do recommend Jude the Obscure and other Thomas Hardy books. He is one of my favourite authors.
I really enjoyed your Hardy spotlight! I've got lots of new ideas about Hardys to read. It's so devastating that Jude was so savaged by the critics that Hardy stopped writing. I actually did start with Jude a while back in a book group. I remember enjoying the characters and premise and setting, but it's true the bleakness felt a bit heavy, almost a little OTT. So I didn't read any more Hardy till I read The Mayor of Casterbridge a few months ago. Probably because I once read that John Irving called it the saddest novel ever. (I used to be really into Irving a long time back and he still sort of fascinates me.) I didn't think The Mayor was quite the saddest ever; to find it so I think you have to warm to the title character on some level. I enjoyed the book but agree with your feeling that there are no characters to like, not even Farfrae or Elizabeth Jane. I felt like I learned about a time and a rural society I was unfamiliar with. I will definitely pick from your rankings/videos to choose which Hardys to read next. Also I now want to reread Jude at some point. Great series!
Thanks :) I know that I've grown to love Jude more on a reread (and Far from the Madding Crowd, the Mayor of Casterbridge and Tess, all of which I've read twice), and there are a lot of Hardy novels I'd still love to reread. For me, the Mayor is not as sad as Jude, nor as Tess, but I think like you say it depends on how invested you get.
Omg I have lately ordered the book and am still waiting for it to be delivered. Tbh I have watched the movie years ago and I still remember some bits of it especially that dark haunting event although I didn't like it. But now I am so desperately anxiously excited to read the book. Tess is the only Hardy I have read and I think it is bleakly amazingly enjoyable, omg I love books that break my heart I feel they are truer and more real
I hope you like it! It is a brilliant one, bleak but incredible.
Thanks so much for making all these ^^
No worries :) I had a great time!
Oh. My. Gosh. Is that Cloud Atlas on your bookshelf?? I loved that book and movie so dang much!!!
It certainly is. It's a favourite of mine too.
@@katiejlumsden very intriguing on Hardy ones ive not read, (sorry comment in wrong place) enjoyed your enthusiasm. my favourite writer. i think my favourite was the poems because its distilled Hardy, I wondered if the poems are maybe why he is such a good writer, 3 in tenebrae poems stick in my mind, I used to dip in to the poems for years, read little these days
Stop. Putting. A period. After. Words. Very. Obnoxious. Stupid. Millennial.
8angst8 the hell said I was a millennial? I was born in 1974. Anyways. I did that to show pause between the words. Bugger off.
Loved watching these! I've only read three Thomas Hardy novels, but the past two weeks have definitely encouraged me to read more! My favorite that I've read so far is Jude the Obscure, the ending breaks my heart! and least favourite would be Far from the Madding Crowd...I just felt that Gabriel Oak was far far too good for Bathesheba, she was an infuriating character, but I still love the plot, Bathesheba just irritates me. The last Thomas Hardy I've read is Tess, but I change my mind about it constantly...definitely worth a reread. I own the Mayor of Casterbridge so that'll be the next one I read I think. Thanks so much for these videos! I really enjoyed them! x
Thanks - I highly recommend more Hardy! The Mayor of Casterbridge is great and you might enjoy Return of the Native too.
Danae Lamond - with far from the Madding Crowd it’s the written discriminations and use of language that is the real hero of this book. Bathsheba was a self centered puss and completely careless with the life of all in a precarious rural community.
Jude the Obscure was my first and only Hardy book. It broke me.
Try some of the happier ones. IF I had attempted Jude first out of the blocks, I likely would have walked off the track. Try Under the Greenwood Tree.
So much character left out of everyone.....my dog could describe this as well. Phillotson in the beginning, a brief description of him would have set the pace, this book is about the Victorian ages social mores, rules, values, morals.....while giving us great insight into Britain's view about the working class and the sufferings thereof. Strongly written with intricate characters and the depths of deep love along with it's deep pain and joys. It's Hardy at his best, well worth the time to be read repeatedly.
Can you say what the controversial bit 2/3 in that you described is? Would like to read 2-3 more Hardy books before this one but am too curious to know what it is.
I can, though it is a big spoiler . . .
Jude's child from his first marriage murders the children of Jude and Sue and then kills himself; some people find this section unbelievable.
I’ve just started Jude. My first Hardy novel. Really enjoying it so far. Have you watched the movie with Christopher Ecclestone?
I have - I really like it the film.
I loved Jude the Obscure. It really made me feel a lot of emotion. Mainly I feel heartbroken for Jude because he was so driven by his ambition in the beginning. He was so full of life and excitement and then he met Arabella. The woman who, in my opinion, single handedly ruined his life. She’s such a menace! And I wasn’t a huge fan of Sue either actually. She proved to be very selfish, over emotional and jealous. I think she deeply loved him, but he deserved better. Jude was such a pure, good hearted person.. Minus all of the adultery. He made his mistakes but I think had a better heart than anyone else in the book. I felt so much grief for him when his dreams of being a scholar were crushed. He ended up just settling and letting his passion for Sue be the center of his world. I’m so angry that she wouldn’t just run away with him! Instead she would rather live with a man who can’t even touch her. A man who she should’ve NEVER promised herself to. She was so naive and self centered. I don’t even think she deserved Richards forgiveness.
Jude the Obscure is the only Hardy novel I’ve read so far and I loved it just as much as you do (so much so that I’m afraid I will never again like any of his other books equally; any recommendation for my case?). Maybe you’ll be interested to know that in 1956 Gabriel Ferrater, a great Catalan writer and critic, expressed an opinion very much like yours: “There are many reasons for thinking that Jude is a great book, but it very definitely is not a good [what you call “perfect”] one, by a long way.”
I definitely agree! It's such a fascinating book. If you loved Jude the Obscure, I'd recommend The Woodlanders and the Return of the Native, if you haven't read them yet :)
I really enjoyed your review. I have read it more than once and am reading it again. I have some vague feeling of Sue being a bit snobby. Am I wrong? I'll keep reading it and see what I think. I sometimes find that people who complain about the system doing them a bad deal can also look down on people who they see as below them. I presume Sue just lived our her life with Philiston but I'd love to know how did Hardy see Arabella's life ending or did he even think about that.
Thanks! I don't know - I don't find Sue snobby, but that just may be me. I haven't read it for a few years now.
I saw the film with Kate Winslet and because of that event you mention hated it and always refused to read the book because I found this event not believable at all. You convinced me I should give it a shot anyway ;-)
I do recommend the book! I saw the film years before reading the book and didn't love it but then I read the book and loved it and now love the film too.
My favorite as well, that and the Mayor of Casterbridge
It is a great one :)
U fire words like machine gun 😀❤️
My fave too.
It's a great one!
I too love Jude. My sole criticism of the narrative is that Jude & Sue's two children are such lightly painted characters, their passing has not quite the power it should have. Imagine how powerful the scene would have been had the author taken the time with characterisation of the pair. I do not think Hardy even gave them names.
I do agree - I love the book almost despite rather than because of that scene.
just chill
Awesome video! I am thinking of starting to read some Thomas Hardy books but I don’t know which one to start with. So if you have a hood recommendation on where to start with Thomas Hardy books please let me know. 🙂
I would recommend starting with Far From the Madding Crowd or The Return of the Native. Also Libby Stephenson has made this amazing video, which might be helpful for you: ruclips.net/video/1kCPFWKFxhU/видео.html
Arabella tells Jude she is pregnant when she knows she is not, that is how she pressures him to marry her.
no, she actually thought she was. that was her plan to get pregnant and then get married because of the pregnancy. I know because I remember that her friend was the one who gave her the idea, and arabella was worried he still wouldn’t marry her and then she would have screwed herself over because she’d still have the baby.
I found it surprising that the book broaches the subject of mental illness among children.
If you have ever been around a truly troubled child the description of the "old man" are chilling and yet another extremely depressing element to this novel.
I can't really say that I LIKED Jude the Obscure. It's not that kind of book. It is sad, Jude's story is tragic, and what this book (and the reaction to it and to Tess) meant in terms of future novels (there were not any more) is sad for us and for Hardy. However, I think with thios one Hardy had just about exhausted what he wanted to say about relations of the sexes, and poetry must have opened a more placid and welcoming prospect.
If you compare the tone of this one with Far From the Madding Crowd or Under the Greenwood Tree, you realize just how far hardy had come. Society had changed, the economics of farming had changed (a lot), and Hardy's views of men with women must have soured considerably. Arabella and Sue are NOT good characters and neither is good for Jude, but Jude is such a complex, strange creature (is he the truest representation of hardy himself?), that the reader takes much of this in without much judgement. I think the story is very Old Testament and yet shockingly modern.
It IS a great book, but I only read it once, and I doubt I'll ever re-read it. For my Hardy fix, I'd much rather pick up Return of the Native or the Bathsheba chronicle. I tried to read the Woodlanders earlier this year (or was it late last?) and made little progress. The characters were well drawn, but they seemed like Woodland versions of the Jude sort.
Perhaps I'm losing my taste for bleak books.
I only watched the film; the terrible bit was so over the top I resolved not to read the book.
Out of Tess, FFTMC and The Woodlanders, my favourite was Tess, even though I found it a bit sick.
I would still recommend it though. I like the film, but the film (and the terrible bit) put me off reading the book but years, and then I ultimately loved it.
wtf is she a talking machine ?? though i like her interpretations of the book
I hated the ending of jude the obscure.its not plausible
Slow down, Lady !!
I'twas 'cause of 'Obscure flak that Hardy quit novel writing. How would u defend the flak throwers of the time? How much were they products of their time? Jude is obscure, like Sanguini, Worple, Daphne Greengrass, Ali Bashir, Poliakoff, Wilkes, Jugson, Roberts, Fawcett, Derek, Euan, Vector & Sinistra in HP. Obscure types are usu not remembered. Wasn't there somewhere in S'peare (probably in King Lear) where a nameless character dies doing the right thing?
I think entirely products of their time - Jude the Obscure certainly fought against the social customs of the day!
men i got a headache watching this . its amazing but slow down miss
I'm afraid this is just my natural way of speaking. If you click the settings button in the corner of the video, you can digitally slow it down.