Jude the Obscure vs The Sound and the Fury: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Illegitimate children, Death, Social life and customs, Fiction
Jude the Obscure
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Hardy's last work of fiction, Jude the Obscure is also one of his most gloomily fatalistic, depicting the lives of individuals who are trapped by forces beyond their control. Jude Fawley, a poor villager, wants to enter…
The Sound and the Fury
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In many ways this was an experimental novel, using several differing narrative styles. Divided into four parts, the author relates the same episodes from four different viewpoints, using a different style for each. The…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Sound and the Fury is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 9 for Jude the Obscure.
- The Sound and the Fury has the widest readership — 201000 ratings behind its score.
- Jude the Obscure runs the darker storyline; The Sound and the Fury stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Jude the Obscure | The Sound and the Fury | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (77542) | 3.9 (201000) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (97) | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (141) | 4.0 (40) |
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Reception
| Jude the Obscure | The Sound and the Fury | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 77542 | 201000 |
| Editions | 425 | 94 |
| Citations | 35 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 75907 | 298492 |
| Reading it now | 2971 | 10751 |
| Written reviews | 5092 | 12068 |
| Wikipedia attention | 9952 | 25213 |
| Pages | 488 | 335 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Jude the Obscure or The Sound and the Fury?
The Sound and the Fury has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Sound and the Fury 3.9/5, Jude the Obscure 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Jude the Obscure or The Sound and the Fury?
The Sound and the Fury is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Sound and the Fury (335 pages, ≈ 6 h 12 m); Jude the Obscure (488 pages, ≈ 9 h 02 m).
Which is harder to read: Jude the Obscure or The Sound and the Fury?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Jude the Obscure: Moderate; The Sound and the Fury: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Jude the Obscure: 2 film adaptations; The Sound and the Fury: 2 film adaptations.