Biological determinism and the development of tragic characters in 'Jude the Obscure'
Jan Teichelmann
Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Bamberg, language: English, abstract: In Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure various aspects of dealing with the development of characters, contriving new ways of narration in 19th century English literature and also the influence of autobiographical references reveal themselves to not only squeamish readers.
The following examination of Hardy’s last novel is based on the impacts of biological determinism on the development and the course of action of Sue Bridehead and Jude Fawley. Additionally the way Hardy’s novel was conceived and how the roles of Sue and Jude actively shaped this gloomy novel will be examined. Both tragic characters will be paid equal attention to, as far as an acute analysis of their traits of character and a connection with theories of determinism is concerned. Furthermore there will be a short discourse on Hardy’s process of contrivance of figures which will be directly and explicitly related to the different fall of both characters. Especially the fateful evolution of Jude Fawley, the tragic main character, will be debated.
The difficulties of analyzing the existence of biological determinism in Jude the Obscure are of various stamping. While a determinist can easily give a detailed description of his theoretical knowledge or approach, one must read between the lines and rely on a huge accumulation of tiny hints discovered amid all passages of the novel to actually distinguish the effects of biological determinism on Jude Fawley and Sue Bridehead.
An isolated view of both characters is helpful at first but finally is uncovered as insufficient. Jude’s and Sue’s course of action and mutual interaction have to be considered to make it clear to the reader of the examination at hand that the determined development of both characters is realized by the way one influences the other.
