Oppressed By Memories

Bildungsroman is an important genre in Western literature with its major concernwith the youth’s initiation into the society. Bildungsroman, with its social andeducational implications, has earned wide attention of the literary circle ever since itsbirth. This thesis approaches the failed Bildung of Jude Fawley in Jude the Obscurefrom the perspective of the influence of memory. The thesis employs class theories,the principle of “Victorian Nostalgia” and the basic formula of Bildungsroman in itsdiscussion and concludes that the attempted Bildung of Jude is thwarted by social,personal and pastoral memories.Firstly, Jude’s Bildung is victimized by social memories embodied in theeducational and marital institutions. Secondly, the Bildung of Jude is plagued by thepersonal memories of himself and of those around him, which, working in accordancewith the principles of Victorian nostalgia, keep frustrating his endeavors. Finally, Judesuffers from the effacement of the pastoral memories and the subsequent emergenceof modern conditions, which force him into the realm of fantasies and illusions andvictimize his Bildung.This thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the influence of memories onJude’s Bildung while drawing upon the useful insights of the past studies andemphasizes how the personal development of a person is subject to influence of theinteraction of internal and external forces around a person.