Chapter 1:
Summary:
Jude Fawley, a young and ambitious stonemason, leaves his impoverished village to pursue his education in Christminster, a prestigious college town. Along the way, he encounters Arabella Donn, a beautiful and seductive woman who becomes his first love.
Real Example:
"His father was a poor, simple-minded, hard-working man; his mother, perpetually worried and ailing, had been a school-teacher in her better days, and was now, at three-and-forty, still fairly good-looking, though blanched and colourless from her long struggle with adversity."
Chapter 2:
Summary:
Jude arrives in Christminster and begins attending lectures at the university. He meets Sue Bridehead, a brilliant and independent woman who shares his intellectual curiosity. However, their relationship is hampered by Jude's lack of social status and Sue's unconventional views on marriage and religion.
Real Example:
"A deceptive outward quaintness and greenery concealed the real Christminster, a city of traditions dating back to the times of the Romans, and now, in its friable stone, half-Gothic, half-classic, looking altogether as if it had been constructed out of the tombs of its own dead citizens, so permeated was it with the local dust and débris of centuries."
Chapter 3:
Summary:
Jude and Sue become lovers and have two children together. However, their relationship is fraught with difficulties, including Sue's doubts about their marriage and her desire for intellectual freedom. They eventually separate, and Jude is left alone and heartbroken.
Real Example:
"The future alone could show whether they would stand self-condemned for their reckless tampering with the institution of marriage. They would have been happier unmarried, undoubtedly; but the curious intermingling of the tender grace of acquiescence and occasional rebellion, that was observable in Sue, made her tantalizing to Jude, whose own passions were so much more direct and simple."
Chapter 4:
Summary:
Jude returns to his village and becomes involved with Arabella once more. They marry and have a child, but their relationship is unhappy and ends in tragedy. Jude is driven to a state of despair and eventually commits suicide.
Real Example:
"Jude had perceived with amazement the alteration in his old acquaintance. The glow of her face was gone, her hair was dry and artificial, and her eyes had a hard, metallic reflectiveness that was far removed from their former soft and velvety depth."
Chapter 5:
Summary:
Sue learns of Jude's suicide and is devastated by the loss. She realizes the depth of her love for him but that it was too late. She decides to dedicate her life to education and becomes a teacher.
Real Example:
"'Oh, Jude, Jude!' she cried. 'Why, why have you done this? What made you so reckless of me? After my conduct, to serve you so!' Her tears burst forth afresh, and she wept bitterly."
