STAR-CROSSED LOVERS – THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF LOVE IN THOMAS HARDY’S „JUDE THE OBSCURE“

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Katarina S. LAZIĆ

Download Full Pdf   

DOI: 10.46793/Zvezde24.627L

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

The paper will primarily explore the topic of impossible love between the main character of Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure, Jude Fawley, and his cousin Sue Bridehead. Namely, as the term “star-crossed lovers” refers to “lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail (they are frustrated by the stars), because those who believe in astrology claim that the stars control human destiny”, so is with Jude and Sue, starting from his great-aunt’s monition that “the Fawleys are not cut out for marriage”. Though the readers during the course of the novel might have impression that their love will overcome all the obstacles, their liaison (and love) ends in disaster due to external agents. What is more, not only is Jude unfortunate in the matters of love, but he is star-crossed in his desire for education, having his prospects of enrolling at the university and receiving higher education thwarted, being forced to work as a stonemason for his living. The paper will try to reach the conclusion whether the liaison between Jude and Sue ends up disastrously due to its “not meant to be” or it was simply thwarted by social (namely marital) conventions.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:

Hardy, star-crossed lovers, love, fate, marriage, conventions

REFERENCES / ЛИТЕРАТУРА:

• Burns 2016: D. M. Burns, Astrological Determinism, Free Will, and Desire According to Thecla (St. Methodius, Symposium 8.15-16), in: U. Tervahauta, et al. (ed.), Women and Knowledge in Early Christianity, Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements, the Netherlands: Brill.
• Cartlidge 2020: N. Cartlidge, “Scientia vera”? Holcot and Chaucer on Astrological Determinism, Magic, Talismans and Omens, The Chaucer Review, 55(3), 279–297, https://doi.org/10.5325/chaucerrev.55.3.0279.
• Conte 2001: C. Conte, Star-crossed lovers, a thesis, USA: the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University.
• Dambrun 2004: M. Dambrun, Belief in paranormal determinism as a source of prejudice toward disadvantaged groups: “The dark side of stars”, Social behaviour and personality, 2004, 32(7), 627-636, http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2004.32.7.627.
• Ganjo 2014: P. Ganjo, Man-woman relationship: a complete failure in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, New man international journal of multidisciplinary studies, vol. 1, issue 12, 2014.
• Hardy 2002: T. Hardy, Jude the Obscure, USA: Oxford University Press.
• Kotyk 2018: J. Kotyk, Astrological determinism in Indian Buddhism, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol. 41, 2018, 145–167.
• Long 1984: S. K. Long, Flaws in the terrestrial scheme: Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, a thesis, University of Houston: the Faculty of the Department of English.
• Niermeier-Dohoney 2021: J. Niermeier-Dohoney, Sapiens Dominabitur Astris: A Diachronic Survey of a Ubiquitous Astrological Phrase, Humanities, 10, 117, 1–23, https://doi.org/10.3390/h10040117.
• Reuter 1978: M. G. Reuter, The flesh versus the spirit: Lawrence’s study of Thomas Hardy and Sons and lovers, and Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, a thesis, Houston, Texas: University of Houston.
• Sasaki Joe 1968: J. Sasaki Joe, Thomas Hardy’s representation of human will in The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Jude the Obscure, and Tess of the D’Ubervilles, Missoula, Montana: University of Montana.
• Shakespeare: W. Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Lear. <https://folger-main-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/11/ king-lear_PDF_FolgerShakespeare.pdf> accessed: 6^th of November 2024.
• Sivandipour and Talif 2018: F. Sivandipour, R. Talif, Sue Bridehead: Hardy’s Feminist Figure or a Fallen Temptress, Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 26 (T): 45–55, 2018.
• Yu-hua 2016: G. Yu-hua, Fatalism in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure, US-China Foreign Language, vol. 14, no. 9, 651-659, 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.17265/1539-8080/2016.09.006.