Well. That was devastating.
I've never read "Jude" and am not reading along; I'm just letting Michael read it to me bit by bit. And lately I was wondering, why exactly is this book famous? Why has it been remembered beyond its own time? The novel felt to me like a fair amount of ado about nothing.
Then this chapter happened, and now I see why it's remembered. Holy moley.
I echo the other commenters in admiring Michael's reaction to, and handling of, that scene. It's got to be one of the worst things I've ever read/heard in literature. Wow.
