Author(s)

Ying Peng

Corresponding Author

Ying Peng

Abstract

Jude the Obscure, one of Hardy’s famous novels of character and environment, is traditionally recognized as a naturalistic novel overwhelmed by pessimism and determinism. Yet, in the light of existentialist philosophy, human existence delineated in the novel is consistent with existentialist attitude towards human life. This essay, employing relevant theories of existentialism, attempts to give an adequate account of existentialist themes manifested in the novel, including the absurdity of the world, free choice and death, to prove that Thomas Hardy moves greatly towards modernism in the age of naturalism.

Keywords

Hardy; Absurdity; Free Choice; Death