ABSTRACT

Jude the Obscure is Thomas Hardy’s last novel and the most recognized one. For more than a century, it continuously aroused a lot of critics’ argumentation and interpretation. All the time, literary critics have tended to interpret this novel from the perspectives of social class, gender and psychology, rather than the perspective of ethical literary criticism. However, this novel reveals many social problems in Victorian Period, thus having a great shock on the traditional family ethics in the nineteenth century. This novel explains ethics ambiguously, which brings it great controversy and reputation. This paper aims to disclose and elaborate one of the most important themes in this novel——family ethics, including marriage ethics, the responsibility of parents towards children and so on.

Key words: literary ethical criticism; family ethics; Jude the obscure

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One  INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter Two   Literature Review-2

2.1 Literary Ethical Criticism-2

2.2 Ethical Crisis in the Victorian Era-4

Chapter Three  Marital Ethics in Jude the Obscure-6

3.1 Jude and Arabella’s Materialism Marriage-6

3.2 Sue and Phillotson’s “Moral” Marriage-8

3.3 Jude and Sue’s Immoral Spirit Marriage-10

Chapter Four  Mother-child Relationship in Jude the Obscure-12

4.1 Neglected by Biological Mother-12

4.2 Denied by Stepmother-14

Chapter Five  Conclusion-16

REFERENCES-17