Jude the Obscure

The plot in 56 words

Jude Fawley is an orphan. He dreams of studying at the university at Christminster. But his dream does not come true. He marries a farmer's daughter who soon leaves him. He lives with his cousin Sue, and they have children. When people find they are not married, they have many problems. Sue leaves Jude. Jude dies.

Or in 142 words . . .

This is a sad love story between two cousins, Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead. Jude is a mason, but wants to study at university in Christminster. Because he is from a poor family, the university rejects him. Jude meets his cousin Sue, and they fall in love. But Jude is already married to Arabella, a pig farmer's daughter, who left him to go to Australia. Sue marries Jude's former teacher, Phillitson, but is not happy being his wife. Soon Jude and Sue start living together; they have two children. One day Arabella brings Jude their son to look after. The boy regards himself and the two babies as burdens, so he kills them and then hangs himself. Sue thinks it is a punishment from God for her living in sin with Jude, so she leaves him, even though Jude still loves her.

Not enough gloom for you? Well, if you insist . . .

In the nineteenth century in the south of England there is a young boy called Jude Fawley. He is an orphan who lives with his aunt who runs a cake shop. He works in the fields frightening away the crows from the farmer's crops, but he is not good at his job and prefers to spend his time reading books. The teacher at the school is a man called Phillopson. He leaves the village to move to the nearby city of Christminster where there is a famous university. He tells Jude to visit him some day.

Jude starts to dream of the day when he will be old enough to go to study at Christminster. He learns how to read the Bible in Latin and Greek, and is determined not be a farmer. He is a shy boy and spends much of his time alone, his head sunk in books.

One day as he is walking along a country lane, he is hit by something thrown at him by some young women working by a stream. They want to attract his attention away from the book in his hand. One of them is called Arabella. She likes the look of Jude and plans to make him her husband. Jude is very naive, and though he is not interested in chasing women at first, soon he finds Arabella's charms too much to ignore. She invites him to her parents' home one evening while they are out, and seduces him. Later she tells Jude that she is pregnant, which is a lie. Jude is fooled into believing her, and asks her to marry him for the sake of the child. Once they are married, Arabella tells Jude that she is not pregnant, after all. Jude realises he has been deceived, but it is too late.

Jude and Arabella have a pig which they want to sell. The man who is supposed to come to kill the pig for them does not arrive on time because of the heavy snow. Arabella tells Jude that he must kill the pig, but he does not want to do so. He does not want to see the pig suffer. They have a quarrel. Arabella decides Jude is not a good husband for her, and leaves him. He is relieved when she does, as their married life was not happy.

Jude moves to Christminster where he works as a stonemason. He still dreams of entering the university, but realises it is impossible for someone like him. He is not from a rich family and has no money of his own. In Christminster he meets his cousin, Sue Brideshead, who works in a shop selling religious statues. They fall in love, but Sue is a very strong-headed young woman. She values her independence.

But she moves in with him, and they regret it. Children die. They spilt up. Sue goes back to her husband. Jude dies. Enough already! The end.

The first paragraph

The schoolmaster was leaving the village, and everybody seemed sorry. The miller at Cresscombe lent him the small white tilted cart and horse to carry his goods to the city of his destination, about twenty miles off, such a vehicle proving of quite sufficient size for the departing teacher's effects. For the schoolhouse had been partly furnished by the managers, and the only cumbersome article possessed by the master, in addition to the packing-case of books, was a cottage piano that he had bought at an auction during the year in which he thought of learning instrumental music. But the enthusiasm having waned he had never acquired any skill in playing, and the purchased article had been a perpetual trouble to him ever since in moving house.