Jude the Obscure

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This blog is part of Thinking activity task of Literature of Victorian particularly Jude the Obscure. 

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 1) What is the significance of epigraph written by Hardy - 'Letter Killeth' - for this novel, Jude the Obscure.

The epigraph "the letter killeth"suggests that formal marriage contracts can stifle genuine love. It seems that Jude and Sue both raised without parents and that is why shared same kind of ideology.

"The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life,"

Moreover, throughout his childhood Jude was isolated and looks world as "ugly" capitalist place. Jude seems to be imprisoned in the hermeneutic circle of the biblical exegesis according to which one has to understand to believe and one has to believe to understand. Jude fights anguish by escaping into knowledge in which he finds stability. He and Sue crave for the books and knowledge which we can connect with "letter killeth". His craving for letter or knowledge leads him to his downfall, similarly to Sue. 

Thomas Hardy focuses on this idea, leaving out the part about the spirit bringing life. He means that when love is defined by marriage, it can lose its spontaneity and joy. Jude and Sue's love is restricted by society's rules, and Hardy believes marriage doesn't always preserve true essence. Jude idealized Sue in every manner.

In this context, Hardy's message is that Jude and Sue's love, despite their desire for it to be pure and spontaneous, becomes constrained and burdened by the institution of marriage. They are not able to fully experience the freedom and passion they initially sought because they are bound by societal expectations and legal obligations. Hardy's deliberate omission of the optimistic aspect of "the spirit" underscores his skepticism about the capacity of marriage to preserve the purity and spontaneity of love, ultimately contributing to the tragic outcome of the novel.

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2) Is it possible to connect the meaning of the epigraph of 'Esdras' at the beginning of the first chapter of the novel and the myth of Bhasmasur?

1. Esdras' Epigraph: 

This text talks about how life is like a vapor, something that's fleeting and doesn't last. It means that our time on Earth is short, and we should think about what's really important.

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2. Bhasmasur Myth:

 This is a story about a demon who can turn people into ashes by touching their heads. He wanted more and more power, but in the end, his desire for power led to his own destruction.

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Now, the connection: Both of these stories are about how the things we desire, like power or a long life, can lead to problems. In 'Esdras,' it's about realizing that life is short and we should focus on important things. In the Bhasmasur myth, it's about how wanting too much power can be harmful.

So, even though these two stories are from different cultures and times, they share a similar idea about the consequences of chasing after things that might not be so important in the grand scheme of things. It's like a warning to be careful about what we wish for and to focus on what really matters.

In "Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy, you can draw some comparisons to the themes of transience, desires, and consequences found in the 'Esdras' epigraph and the Bhasmasur myth:

1. Transience of Life: 

Just like the 'Esdras' epigraph suggests that life is fleeting, the novel portrays the impermanence of life and how characters like Jude and Sue struggle with the brevity of their happiness and the transience of their dreams.

2. Pursuit of Desires: 

Both the novel and the Bhasmasur myth depict characters who desire something more, whether it's knowledge, love, or social advancement. Jude, for example, desires education and dreams of attending Christminster, much like Bhasmasur's desire for power. 

3. Consequences of Desires: 

In the novel, the pursuit of their desires has consequences for the characters. Jude's quest for knowledge and Sue's quest for freedom lead them to face hardships and societal disapproval. Similarly, the Bhasmasur myth shows how the demon's desire for power leads to his own downfall.

The themes of transience, desires, and consequences are universal and can be explored in various cultural and literary contexts. In "Jude the Obscure," Hardy delves into these themes through the experiences of his characters, emphasizing the challenges and repercussions of their desires and the fleeting nature of their aspirations.

(This comparison is given by Chatgpt.)

3. Jude the Obscure": Hardy's Symbolic Indictment of Christianity

Norman Holland, Jr.

In "Jude the Obscure," Thomas Hardy criticizes or points out problems in Christianity through symbolism. He uses symbols or signs in the story to show how some aspects of Christian beliefs and practices can be harmful or wrong. So, the novel is like a way for the author to express his concerns about certain ideas within Christianity. It's not an attack on the whole religion, but a way to discuss its flaws. Different branches of religion such as Christian, judeism, and peganism.

In the story, Sue doesn't want to get married, even though it's a big deal in her Christian community. This shows that she's not following traditional Christian beliefs about marriage.

So, the book uses Sue's character to say that some Christian ideas about marriage and other things might not always be right. It's like a way to point out problems in those beliefs.

Jude represents Old testament, Mr. Philoston non-jewish that is what even Mather Arnold talked in Culture and Anarchy. 

4. Structure of the Novel 'Jude the Obscure'

In the beginning of the story, Sue is more focused on logic and doesn't really believe in traditional religious ideas. She even buys pagan statues and reads historical books. Jude, on the other hand, is a strong Christian and wants to become a priest.

As their beliefs change, their marital relationships change too. At first, they're separated because they're married to other people, and this matches their different beliefs. But later, they're legally freed from those marriages and start living together as if they're married. However, when Sue goes back to traditional Christian beliefs, they separate and marry their first spouses again.

Jude's failure in Christminster and Sue's difficult choice show how they've faced defeat in life. This theme of struggle and failure is also seen in other characters like Phillotson and Arabella.

So, the novel is about how Jude and Sue tried to break free from old beliefs and traditions, but they faced hardships and didn't succeed. This is why Thomas Hardy calls it a "tragedy of unfulfilled aims."

References: 

Barad, Dilip. “Jude the Obscure.” Jude the Obscure, 1 Jan. 1970, blog.dilipbarad.com/2021/01/jude-obscure.html. 

Goater, Thierry. “The Letter Killeth’: The Text as Fetish in ‘Jude The Obscure.’” The Hardy Review, vol. 10, no. 2, 2008, pp. 129–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45300346. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.

Holland, Norman. “‘Jude the Obscure’: Hardy’s Symbolic Indictment of Christianity.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction, vol. 9, no. 1, 1954, pp. 50–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3044291. Accessed 16 Oct. 2023.