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ryderstanley 's review for:
Jude the Obscure
by Thomas Hardy
Man, this book was rough. I thought The Secret History was the most depressing book I've ever read, but now I'm almost certain it is Jude the Obscure.
Everything about this book makes your heart hurt. Every character is constantly suffering, due to no fault of their own, but merely because of the unfair society in which they live. Jude the Obscure is a total social critique, criticizing practically every aspect of Victorian society. Religion, Marriage, Class, Education, all of it. This is fundamentally a story of two twin souls, ordained by the universe to be together, who are forced into a downward spiral merely because of the society in which they live. They can find no peace, no refuge, no safety. They are perpetually wandering, perpetually seeking something that they will never find. Jude's entire life is oriented around one, unachievable goal and because of that he is naturally predestined to a life of near endless suffering. Just as you think things might be turning in their favor, they suffer even more.
The psychological complexity and realism of these characters is unmatched by nearly any author before or after, save Dostoevsky. Hardy is an incredible writer, born 50 years too early to see his style ever truly reach its apex in the Modernists. Every character is a living, breathing person with complex, shifting motives and never feel one-dimensional or absurd.
This book is an emotional, stunning masterpiece that I think everyone should read at some point in their lives. But be warned, your heart may never recover from the injury of this book.
Everything about this book makes your heart hurt. Every character is constantly suffering, due to no fault of their own, but merely because of the unfair society in which they live. Jude the Obscure is a total social critique, criticizing practically every aspect of Victorian society. Religion, Marriage, Class, Education, all of it. This is fundamentally a story of two twin souls, ordained by the universe to be together, who are forced into a downward spiral merely because of the society in which they live. They can find no peace, no refuge, no safety. They are perpetually wandering, perpetually seeking something that they will never find. Jude's entire life is oriented around one, unachievable goal and because of that he is naturally predestined to a life of near endless suffering. Just as you think things might be turning in their favor, they suffer even more.
The psychological complexity and realism of these characters is unmatched by nearly any author before or after, save Dostoevsky. Hardy is an incredible writer, born 50 years too early to see his style ever truly reach its apex in the Modernists. Every character is a living, breathing person with complex, shifting motives and never feel one-dimensional or absurd.
This book is an emotional, stunning masterpiece that I think everyone should read at some point in their lives. But be warned, your heart may never recover from the injury of this book.