Cover of Jude the Obscure

Jude the Obscure

Thomas Hardy, 1894

British novelist, 1840–1928.

Jude the Obscure is an 1894 novel by Thomas Hardy.

Essential
  • Critics' Darling

On 4 of the 13 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Thomas Hardy
First published
Serialised 1894–95
Length
528 pages (UK paperback)
Genre
Literary fiction, Class and society, Love story, Religion and faith

Is Jude the Obscure worth reading?

4 of the 13 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them The 100 greatest British novels (BBC Culture) and The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian).

ListPlaceOriginal
The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026)No. 70See the list
The 100 best novels written in English (The Guardian / Observer, 2015)ListedSee the list
The 100 greatest British novels (BBC Culture, 2015)No. 23See the list
The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003)ListedSee the list

Best edition of Jude the Obscure

The edition we link to is the Penguin paperback (2003), 528 pages.

Publisher
Penguin (paperback, 2003)
Pages
528
ISBN
9780140435382

How critics and readers rate Jude the Obscure

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 46% of the points available on critics' lists, against 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
46%
Prizes
Not eligible for any of these lists yet
Readers and booksellers
0%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Jude the Obscure

If you liked Jude the Obscure, try Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Lists used on this page