Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure

Ana-Karina Schneider (Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Grace Moore (University of Otago)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1895

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

First Publication and Reception

A hauntingly intense tale of thwarted human aspiration in Victorian England, Jude the Obscure was Thomas Hardy’s last novel. First serialised in Harper’s Magazine in December 1894-November 1895, having been some four years in the making and initially bearing various provisional titles – “The Simpletons / Hearts Insurgent / A Dreamer” –, it became one of the first Victorian novels to be published in one volume (as Jude the Obscure, November 1895, post-dated 1896), rather than the customary triple-decker. The decision to publish the book in one volume signals a move away from the circulating library (q.v.) and towards a rather more sophisticated, liberal-minded …

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3068 words

Citation: Schneider, Ana-Karina. "Jude the Obscure". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 March 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4296, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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