The pessimism of tragic circumstances, so often a feature in Hardy, is in this novel, but so too is the strength of character which for me prevents the pessimistic novels becoming depressing. The character of Jude himself, despite the futility of his ambitions and his loves, is admirable though I had considerably less sympathy with his ‘soul male’ Sue Bridehead. The character of Phillotson however, whose story was in a way a reflection of Jude’s was subtly drawn and shows that Hardy rarely created simple villains. The suicide of Father Time and his murder of the other children was however too much for me – so gruesome as to seem unreal. Normally I defend Hardy strongly on the grounds that pessimism is realism but here I cannot. Overall though I enjoyed the novel very much.
Jul 7th, 2000
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